Strikes Shut Paris Museums

Strikes protesting job cuts have shut down the major museums of Paris as well as churches and monuments—just as tourists are beginning to head to the City of Light for the winter holidays. The action began with a 10-day strike at the Pompidou Center, followed by walkouts at the Musee D'Orsay, Rodin Museum, Arc de Triomphe, and Sainte Chapelle. The Louvre is also partially shut. Workers are protesting plans to replace only one of every two employees who retire. It's not yet clear how long the job actions will continue.

“The fewer staff there are, the greater the risk that the museum opens in conditions that are unacceptable in terms of security, be it for the artworks, visitors, or building,” says a union spokesman.
(More Paris stories.)