Over the past week, 1,423 people have been detained for protest-related violence and 62 police officers injured, he said. French President Emmanuel Macron has enacted controversial new reforms that raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.) The Education Ministry said in a statement that about 24% of teachers walked off the job in primary and middle schools on Thursday, and 15% in high schools. . The Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives, proposed in their 2023 budget to gradually raise the retirement age in the US from 67 to 70 in light of longer life expectancies. Polls say most French oppose President Emmanuel Macron's bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? The more you earn later in life to move the lower income out of the equation, the more youll receive when you decide to tap into your Social Security benefits. The debate in France over raising the retirement age is also happening in the US. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler), Protestors march during a demonstration against pension changes, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Paris. But opponents of Macrons reform note that, under the French system, people are already required to work more years overall than in some neighboring countries to receive a full pension. European Union member states have given final approval for the blocs master plan to expand semiconductor production. While everyones situation is different, now is the right time to start thinking about ways you can maximize Social Security retirement benefits or minimize dependency on Social Security in case the full retirement age jumps or benefits are cut. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. And despite France's tolerance for a long tradition of strikes and protest, official patience appeared to be waning after weeks of actions that have snarled traffic, cancelled flights and dwindling gasoline supplies and, now, rising urban violence. On Thursday, March 16, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the cabinet had invoked article 49.3 of the French constitution to push through pension reform without a parliamentary vote. He says the reform is needed to make France's economy more dynamic. Its the same conversation in the sense because its a way to cut benefits, said Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Macron pushes through plan to raise retirement age to 64, risking no Frances parliament has approved a boost to military spending spurred on by Russias war in Ukraine. Many young people were among the Paris crowd, including high school students. France pension protests: Hundreds detained after French government forces through changes | CNN Hundreds detained in fiery protests after French government forces through higher. They had hoped Tuesdays show of force would undermine President Emmanuel Macrons showcase draft legislation. France pension protests: Hundreds detained after French - CNN Do you want to retire sick, broken and even some dead? According to an analysis by CBSs Aimee Picchi, the average retiree would lose out on three to four years in benefits under Republicans plan, amounting to a minimum of $65,000. VANEK SMITH: Life starts when you retire, when you finally get to take from the economy you've been giving to for decades. We have increasing levels of inflation, we havent seen since the 70s and of course, weve just come out of a pandemic which has already put downward pressure on wages and peoples income and savings., Workers are being squeezed. says Bieler, who notes that wage increases are not matching the ballooning inflation. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The movement has spread because to defend workers rights means defending a social model based on solidarity, she said. Sign up for the Some store owners lowered metal blinds to avoid looting. "It's Baghdad here," said Lionel Philippe, who arrived at Orly after much difficulty because of protesters blocking access to the airport only to find his flight to Biarritz cancelled. Protesters waving red union flags and reflective vests temporarily blocked the main road leading to one of two terminals at Orly Airport on Wednesday. Darmanin said radicals numbered some 1,500. Macron has always been seen as a president for successful city dwellers and not really your blue-collar workers. With the war in Ukraine continuing to impact energy prices and inflation on the rise worldwide, Bieler says that these movements are more likely to pick up steam. The subject behind this is inflation, soaring food and energy prices. Paris CNN France's pension reforms have come into law, a day after the country's top court approved the government's unpopular plans to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64. The CGT union put the number of Paris protesters at 700,000 and estimated 3.5 million around the country. Strikes continued Wednesday at the SNCF national rail network, and one in three TGV high-speed train was cancelled. Although the retirement age for most European countries is even higher (65-plus), it was still a tough pill to swallow for many French citizens, as President Emmanuel Macron wielded special constitutional powers to bypass Parliament and make the change. Anger at new retirement age fuels further protests in France Youre talking about the new generation, like my kids coming up, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said earlier this month. Protesters with a banner reading '49.3 or not, let's keep fighting, general strike' and a demonstrator in a vest also referring to article 49.3 of the French constitution, which is allowing . Here are three tips for saving for everyone from Boomers to Generation Alpha before taking your Social Security benefits. Last year, workers across France demonstrated to protest rising inflation and demand salary increases. The planned reforms would yield an additional 17.7 billion euros ($19.1 billion) in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to Labour Ministry estimates. Why the French Want to Stop Working - The Atlantic Though Frances retirement system is more generous than the USs, Lawsons argument is the same one French protesters have levied against their government over the course of recent demonstrations: Raising the retirement age would put an undue burden on low-income individuals and the working class, without exploring other tax solutions or tapping into other accounts. But for those who cant or dont want to wait, there are other planning options. "I'm 28, by the time I retire everything will have changed anyway," he said. PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power . French anti-pension reform protesters stormed the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Tuesday as trade unions made a last-gasp attempt to pressure lawmakers into reversing President . Piles of trash, left out on the streets by striking garbage collectors, have become an emblem of the opposition, and there have also been disruptions to transportation, air traffic, oil refineries, and schools. What does all this mean for Macron? Paris garbage collectors extended their strike for a 12th day, with piles of foul-smelling rubbish growing daily in the French capital. Currently, people born after 1960 will reduce their full benefit by 30% if collecting at age 62. The thing is, you dont have to touch it for seniors and anybody near retirement. French Interior Minister Grald Darmanin told radio station RTL that 310 people were arrested overnight, most of them in Paris. When we talk about raising the retirement age, you have to put air quotes around it because most people hear that and theyre actually hearing the wrong thing, said Alex Lawson, executive director of the advocacy group Social Security Works. A delivery truck was set ablaze. Hortefeux, the interior minister, visited the city in the afternoon, when tensions appeared to have calmed in Lyon and in Nanterre. Protesters march, with the Pantheon monument in background, during a demonstration, Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in Paris. Watch: Uproar on the streets of Paris and jeers in parliament over retirement age increase Police in Paris have clashed with protesters after the French government decided to force through pension . Nicolas Garriga, Associated Press, Jade le Deley, Associated Press France: Over 1 million march against raising retirement age. What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows, 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Tekaya says there is this misconception people have that the French don't want to work. In an interview Wednesday, Macron refused to budge from his position that a new law is necessary to keep retirement coffers funded. Pension ages around the world: How France compares to other - CNN That's how important this reform is to him. And far-right leader Marine Le Pen said that enacting the pension reforms would, quote, "mark the definitive break between the French people and Emmanuel Macron." Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Police tried to quell them with tear gas and water cannons late into the night. Things have gotten loud this week. Video footage showed officers peacefully herding striking workers away from one depot. At least 700 police officers were deployed, and some responded with tear gas and cordoned the rioters off. President Emmanuel Macron hopes to open an avenue for union. Millions have taken to the streets to protest against the French government's proposed overhaul of the state pensions system and the progressive raising of the retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full pensionable age from 65 to 67 between now and 2018. Building on the strong turnout, unions swiftly called for new protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is scheduled to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. Macron, who narrowly survived a vote of no confidence this week, has said he has no intention of reversing the law. Something went wrong. BERNARD SALANIE: Ever since I was a kid SALANIE: I've heard people talk about, oh, when I'm retired, I will do this and that - like, life actually starting when you retire. At Paris-Nord train station, some unionists voted to continue the strike Wednesday. Workers in many French cities took to the streets Thursday to reject proposed pension changes that would push back the retirement age, amid a day of nationwide strikes and protests seen as a major test for Emmanuel Macron and his presidency. He claimed in a television appearance Wednesday that he needed to convince the public that the reforms were necessary to save what he frames as the countrys endangered pension system, especially given higher life expectancy. Workers in many French cities took to the streets Thursday to reject proposed pension changes that would push back the retirement age, amid a day of nationwide strikes and protests seen as a major test for Emmanuel Macron and his presidency. And the specter of 2005 riots that spread through poor housing projects nationwide with disenfranchised immigrant populations is never far away. People gather on Place de la Republique during a demonstration against proposed pension changes, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Paris. 149 police were injured and 172 people were arrested, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. French protests intensify against pension age rise - BBC News Fears that the Senate-approved measurewhich would raise the retirement age from 62 to . Jake Cigainero is in Paris, and he joins us now. PARIS (AP) Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a second day on Friday, trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macrons government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase hes trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly. The detention of Ernest Moret was found to be at odds with the rights to freedom of expression and protest. An age-old (and old age) problem: Amid French strikes, is retirement He has weathered social upheaval when he changed labor laws by executive order early in his presidency, and he has weathered the yellow vest protests in 2019. In the city of Lyon, new clashes broke out Wednesday morning, with rioters running in small groups down different streets, throwing projectiles and setting off flares. Remember this important caveat: These tips are general in nature. READ MORE: Strikes and protests continue in Frances pension battle. But protesters were way more outraged at the way that the government forced the law through using special constitutional powers once it was clear the bill was not going to make it through Parliament, which is why the Constitutional Council got the final say. The protests drew out a million people and extended across major French cities, including Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice and come as a cost of living crisis continues to squeeze out workers worldwide. A gendarme helicopter circled overhead at low altitude. Hundreds of thousands protested on the streets of Paris and other French cities Thursday amid nationwide strikes against plans to raise the retirement age, but President Emmanuel Macron insisted he would press ahead with the proposed pension reforms. French pension protests: One last bid to stop retirement age increase Second, were not in the subscriptions business. You could probably even say it's part of their identity. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. By submitting your email, you agree to our, What Republicans should learn from French protests over pension cuts, Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword, The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained, Barbieheimer: Destroyer of worlds, savior of cinema. Anti-government corteges were as loud and as big, if not . Garbage collectors, utility workers, train drivers and others walked off the job across the countryto show their anger at the reform. (SOUNDBITE OF CHARLES ATLAS' "THE SNOW BEFORE US"). The plan is also seen by many as endangering the welfare state thats central to French society. It certainly doesn't help his popularity rating. He grew up in France. "People are angry," said Jerome Villier, a 43-year-old doctoral researcher in Paris. All rights reserved. Strikes upended travel as protesters blockaded train stations, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, refineries and ports. Polls suggest most French people oppose the reform, and Thursday was the first public reaction to Macrons plan. French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law his government's highly unpopular pension reforms, which raise the state pension age from 62 to 64. Mass protests continued to roil French cities on Thursday, with more than a million people turning out to oppose a new policy that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 and requires workers to contribute to the pension system for longer. Hortefeux warned that the blockades threatened emergency services and could have grave consequences for the entire French economy and public health and safety. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias), A young protestor uses a megaphone during a demonstration against pension changes, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Paris. The French retirement system. The Constitutional Council must now approve the measure. Thats certainly a good idea if you can literally afford to do so. So I feel like that process kind of shows how unpopular a move this is in France. Opinion polls suggest that most French voters oppose the bill. France erupts in strikes and protests over pension age rise - in But, you know, May 1, which is Labor Day here in France, is just around the corner, and it's always a big day for demonstrations. 2023 French pension reform unrest - Wikipedia Obviously, there were protests yesterday evening after the Constitutional Council announced their ruling. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA. France pension protests: Clashes after Macron orders rise in - BBC (March 16) (Production: Vanessa A. Alvarez) PARIS (AP) Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a .