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French Union Calls for Apple Retail Store Employee Strike Coinciding with iPhone 5 Launch

Surprised?

This should not surprise anyone. Another act of desperation in a growing list of such.

The farmers should dump milk, and vegetables in front of the stores.

Tim, seriously, do we really need France? :apple:
 
Gasu E. said:
America won the last three; Gulf, Afghanistan, Gulf II. We threw Saddam out if Kuwait, replaced the Taliban and then replaced Saddam. It's the peace we lost, in the last two. We stayed around to stablize the new government, which was a fool's errand. But winning the war and winning the peace are two separate things.
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No you didn't, if you would class what has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan as a win, then you don't know the meaning of the word. Plus, it's not only America that has fought their, nor just the UK either.

Want300 said:
How can you accuse an entire country of being backwards based off the actions of a few individuals??

On that logic, ALL of Afghanistan's people are dangerous and terrorists. This is not true at all, the actions of a few... do not reflect on the whole country.
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Are you going to tell me that having a gun as a God given right is not a problem that invites violent killings then? As is making a cartoon mocking an entire nations faith not going harvest more terrorists?
Look at America's redneck county's where hunting is a part of life, or the many many many gun clubs where you can shoot 50 calibre weapons! That should be the reserve of the military ONLY!
Plus, America and Britain has kinda blown the hell out of the country, that by default is going to make the people of that country hate you, not necessarily to the point of terrorism.

I'm not stating all Americans are violent, I am stating it has a problem that it refuses to admit the cause off.
 
Truffles

chrisbru said:
13 months of pay? Lol France.
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And they get a month off for vacation in the summer.

Sounds like a fair deal - make the 1% pay for it all. Right?

So I wonder what calendar FoxConn uses in China? The traditional Chinese calendar was based on lunar cycles with 12 months in a year, but in leap years there are 13 months.
 
GadgetDon said:
I have no idea whether the complaints are justified or not, won't say so either way.

But to strike on the day of the launch? STUPID. That's the sort of thing you do if you want to go to war with Apple, and remember, Apple fights mean. More, it'll anger the other employees having to pick up the slack, and many of the customers being inconvenienced on the day of the big launch.

If things were so bad that it's time to go to war and something this big, you'd want to lead into it, get the other unions in too, and plan for it. Not just "Hey, tomorrow's the big launch date. Let's strike"
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Obviously, they are doing it for maximum impact. And yes, a lot of us in the US can't relate because our retail workers may be lucky if they get ANY benefits. I think a very small percentage of workers in the US are actually unionized (I'm not).

The drinking fountains I don't understand (how does a place of employment not have these?) but it is hard to comprehend the meal vouchers and 13th month salary. It is definitely a different life from what we have here in the US.
 
DrMotownMac said:
Wow, so you'd be okay with Apple closing their stores in France? Let's see....You're a European (or possibly French) citizen, posting messages in MacRumors. But you don't care about Apple closing stores in France?

I have to think if Steve Jobs were alive and running things, that union would be broken in 2 minutes. He had a history of being especially annoyed with whining and complaining employees, and a bunch of Frenchies pissing and moaning about not getting their wine and baguette every day would have probably sent him through the roof. Fortunately for the white-flag-waving French, they have the more even-tempered Tim Cook to deal with. Perhaps they'll get what they want. Personally, since France is such a ridiculous welfare state, I don't think the striking workers care one way or the other. Either they'll get what they want from Apple, or they'll get it from the French government.

You see, we here in the USA are LAUGHING at how lazy and weak the French people are. Keep saying what you want, but when you look at per capita GDP, the US is ranked 7 and France is ranked 23. Also, when you look at companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, GE, etc., etc., where are they HEADQUARTERED? Where were they founded? Why does the USA have a history of entrepreneurs and free enterprise which far exceeds all of Europe? Why is the US dollar the world's leading reserve currency?

Yeah, we don't have labor unions like you Europeans do. But we sure know how to make more money than you, and, quite frankly, you and the rest of Europe would be under Nazi rule right now if it weren't for us. So, please **** and enjoy your McDonalds lunch and Apple products, okay?
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If you weren't so brainwashed you might be able to see the irony of what you've just posted. Two small pointers for you though... China owns the US and could sink the dollar as the worlds reserve currency in a trice and as Europe moves on from its fascist past the US is on its way to making it its future. I wish it weren't true but for the majority of your population your golden era is in the past.
 
macchiato2009 said:
guys,

yes free water fountain

the AC has been down for ages at the Apple Store at the Louvre, staff has been working for the last 3 years with inconsistent temperature conditions topping 40°C

try to work in these conditions before criticizing

as for meal vouchers... Opera and Louvre are locating in very expensive tourist locations of Paris

the less expensive meal would be McDonald's

unless you want to eat something else than this kind of crap, one must spend a significant amount everyday, compared to low wages given in France
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Does Apple not provide a break room where you can eat a meal you prepared at home and drink some water that you packaged at home? I've working in parts of a city where no real person can afford the meals, so we always had to bring lunch or dinner to work. I saved a lot of money by not going out to lunch or dinner.

Billions of people pack up a meal and take it to their workplace everyday. I know of millions who work in jobs where they only have 30 minutes for that meal.

I'm not saying you don't have anything to complain about but really. The fact that there is not a "cheap" place to eat a meal neat your work place is not the responsibility of the company, since you can feed yourself.
 
aaronazevedo said:
Not quite. But if you choose to work for an American company, it is indeed a choice. If you would like to work elsewhere, please leave your job and make room for someone who wants to work there. Same advice I give to my employees.
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Le me give you some advice, if an american company is not able to adapt itself to say France and respect its traditions and laws or any other country for that matter then by all means necessary it must mind its own business elsewhere and not the other way around.
In other words, you can mind your own business while you're at home, but when stepping on someone else's lawn be thankfull you have the priviledge.

Some nerve people just have :rolleyes:
 
cankster said:
Hell. America is right behind them. We have been doing everything in our power to become them. Its Obama's dream.
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You have no idea what you're talking about. I suppose you also think he is a muslim and not a US citizen. Turn down the Fox news bruh.

macchiato2009 said:
guys,

yes free water fountain

the AC has been down for ages at the Apple Store at the Louvre, staff has been working for the last 3 years with inconsistent temperature conditions topping 40°C

try to work in these conditions before criticizing

as for meal vouchers... Opera and Louvre are locating in very expensive tourist locations of Paris

the less expensive meal would be McDonald's

unless you want to eat something else than this kind of crap, one must spend a significant amount everyday, compared to low wages given in France
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Got an idea for ya. Bring a water bottle and pack a lunch. :)
 
ps45 said:
Wow. Classy. For the record, I'm proud of America, just ashamed of people like you. But hey, we have freedom of speech, so you are welcome to proudly parade your ignorance and lack of education.
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You know, a certain word of French origin actually comes to mind when I think of ps45. How's this for "freedom of speech?"
 

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Scarrus said:
Le me give you some advice, if an american company is not able to adapt itself to say France and respect its traditions and laws or any other country for that matter then by all means necessary it must mind its own business elsewhere and not the other way around.
In other words, you can mind your own business while you're at home, but when stepping on someone else's lawn be thankfull you have the priviledge.

Some nerve people just have :rolleyes:
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Ok, you can wake up from your nap now. :)
 
macchiato2009 said:
guys,

yes free water fountain

the ac has been down for ages at the apple store at the louvre, staff has been working for the last 3 years with inconsistent temperature conditions topping 40°c

try to work in these conditions before criticizing

as for meal vouchers... Opera and louvre are locating in very expensive tourist locations of paris

the less expensive meal would be mcdonald's

unless you want to eat something else than this kind of crap, one must spend a significant amount everyday, compared to low wages given in france
Click to expand...


peanut butter and jelly!!!! Pack your lunch!!!!!
 
I'm French but the amount of strikes constantly happening in France are just appalling. That's part of the reason my family emigrated quite a few years back :rolleyes:
 
Tanax said:
I see a lot of people complaining about this.
Fact of the matter is that working conditions are just different in EU rather than in US. I'm sure most of you US people think your way is the correct way.

Consider this though. There was recently an Apple Store launch, first one in Scandinavia, here in Sweden. The employees were cheering and clapping and it was almost like a football-event. In US, this is probably considered normal. For us Swedes(and probably a lot of other Europeans) it was just rather embarrassing and bizarre.

Things are different all around the world, including working conditions. Deal with it.
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Haha. No I hate our way as well, especially lately, I just hate your way too! :p
 
Dredd67 said:
I guess US citizens would get mad too trying to explain to a french guy that thing they have with weapons. Or why they have to involve God in each and every official speech... <- Get me right please, it's just an example, no harm meant.
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Probably because honestly, I don't even understand it enough to explain :) Other than somehow the founders of the US decided that we should be able to have guns to protect ourselves (which in an environment where you are trying to take lands from natives AND keep the lands you've already taken) and some people cling to that like death. The founders also thought that a separation between church and state was a good thing and some people are trying their best to abolish that :)
 
msimpson said:
And they get a month off for vacation in the summer.

Sounds like a fair deal - make the 1% pay for it all. Right?

So I wonder what calendar FoxConn uses in China? The traditional Chinese calendar was based on lunar cycles with 12 months in a year, but in leap years there are 13 months.
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The French & United States are very similar in worker productivity. The United States has higher incomes, while the French work less hours. Just a cultural difference in which they prioritize leisure. So no, you are actually wrong in saying the 1% pays for the extra time off; they pay that through the reduction in average income of their citizens.

Now the lower income distribution in countries like France, can be attributed to the increase in taxes in the higher income brackets.
 
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