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????泰勒沒有預(yù)測未來的能力，而且也并不知曉這家規(guī)模是自己東家20倍的企業(yè)未來的計劃，然而他的話卻自有一番道理——法國在生產(chǎn)效率方面的確存在問題，特別是它的制造業(yè)。羸弱的歐洲經(jīng)濟(jì)已經(jīng)大幅降低了法國工業(yè)品的市場需求，而該國的企業(yè)卻成為了工會向政府要求權(quán)力的傀儡。

????例如，法國最大的汽車生產(chǎn)商標(biāo)致雪鐵龍（Peugeot Citro?n）本月初剛剛公布了有史以來最大的一次年度虧損。它2012年的虧損額達(dá)到了50億歐元（約合67.4億美元）。2012年歐洲和法國汽車銷量較一年前分別下降了9%和14%。為了調(diào)整生產(chǎn)規(guī)模和滿足市場需求，標(biāo)致試圖關(guān)閉一些工廠，同時裁掉一部分工人。但工會將這家公司告上了法庭，從而成功地阻止了它管理緊縮計劃的實施。標(biāo)致獲批減產(chǎn)，但在得到法院“首肯”之前，公司不能裁掉任何一名員工。

????標(biāo)致的故事在法國已是家常便飯。的確，作為泰勒鬧劇主角輪胎工廠的所有者，固特異銷售亞眠工廠的原因在于公司的高級輪胎在低迷的法國市場上并不受歡迎。泰勒曾研究過收購該工廠的事宜，但工會要求他至少在7年之內(nèi)不能裁員。這一點讓泰勒大吃一驚。

????他說：“Titan公司有錢，也有制造輪胎的能力。相反，瘋狂的工會有什么？”

????這些“瘋狂的”工會有法國法律撐腰。即便固特異決定關(guān)閉工廠，但它也有義務(wù)不讓所有的員工失業(yè)。因此，在固特異削減了工廠90%的產(chǎn)能之后，公司仍必須全額支付工人所有的工資和福利。這可能也解釋了為什么泰勒去年訪問工廠時，這些工人每天只工作3小時。同時，這可能也解釋了他們?yōu)槭裁从械讱庀窭习逡粯痈├沼憙r還價。

????的確，在工業(yè)化國家中，法國擁有最強(qiáng)有力的勞工保護(hù)法。在經(jīng)濟(jì)合作與發(fā)展組織（OECD）的就業(yè)保護(hù)指數(shù)（employment protection index）中，法國排名直逼榜首。這個指數(shù)主要衡量發(fā)達(dá)國家雇主雇傭、解聘員工的難易程度。法國的分?jǐn)?shù)是美國的3倍多，而美國在這個指數(shù)的排名中墊底，原因是它擁有有利于企業(yè)的勞動法。法國同時還超過了其工業(yè)競爭對手德國，以及經(jīng)濟(jì)問題重重的希臘和意大利。

????就為勞工市場計劃提供公共支持而言，法國同樣也能擊敗大多數(shù)工業(yè)國家；這種支持指的是，政府在幫助培訓(xùn)或支持失業(yè)工人方面的投入。經(jīng)合組織發(fā)布的最新數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2010年，法國在勞工市場計劃的開銷驚人地占到了GDP的2.6%。以慷慨的社會安全網(wǎng)著稱的德國在勞工計劃領(lǐng)域的開銷也只占GDP的2.3%，而美國僅僅只有0.9%。

????然而，員工的難聘用和難解雇只是法國勞工體制的缺陷之一。小型企業(yè)尤其深受35小時法定勞動時間的傷害。這個法令迫使雇主為每周工作超過35小時的員工支付超時工資。結(jié)果，法國人工作的時間要比經(jīng)合組織任何成員國的員工都要少。經(jīng)合組織和法國勞動部門公布的最新數(shù)據(jù)顯示，事實上，法國雇員在2011年的平均工作時間只有1,476小時。相比之下，美國工人每年的工作時間達(dá)到了1,704小時，比法國同僚多出了21%。

????Taylor doesn't have a crystal ball, nor does he have knowledge of the future plans of a rival that is 20 times his company's size, but he does have a point -- France has a problem when it comes to productivity, especially in its manufacturing sector. The weak European economy has decreased demand for French industrial products in a big way and its companies are being held hostage to unions that command great power with the government.

????For example, Peugeot Citro?n, France's largest carmaker, just reported its biggest yearly loss ever earlier this month, shredding some 5 billion euros ($6.74 billion) in 2012. Car sales in Europe and France in 2012 were down 9% and 14%, respectively, from the previous year. Peugeot tried to close plants and lay off workers to adjust production levels to meet market demand, but its unions successfully stalled the implementation of the management's austerity plan by taking the car company to court. Peugeot was allowed to cut production, but it was not allowed to lay off any of its workers until the court gave it "permission."

????Peugeot's story is far from unique. Indeed, Goodyear, the owner of the tire plant at the center of the Taylor drama, put the Amiens plant on the block because it was having a hard time selling its premium tires to the depressed French market. Taylor looked into buying the plant, but the union insisted that he guarantee all of the workers' jobs for at least seven years. Taylor was shocked.

????"Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tires," he said. "What does the crazy union have?"

????The "crazy" unions had French law on their side. Even though Goodyear decided to close the plant it was obligated to keep all of its workers employed. So after it cut the plant's capacity by 90%, it still had to pay all of its workers their full salaries and benefits. That probably explains why they were only working three hours a day when Taylor visited the plant late last year. It is also probably explains why they felt they had the power to dictate terms to Taylor as if they were in the driver's seat.

????Indeed, France has one of the most protective labor laws in the industrialized world. It ranks near the top of the OECD's employment protection index, which measures how easy it is for employers in rich nations to hire and fire workers. France had a score that was more than three times higher than that of the U.S., which was at the very bottom of the list thanks to its business-friendly labor laws. France also outranked its industrial rival Germany, as well as economic basket cases Greece and Italy.

????France also beat out most industrial nations when it comes to public support for labor market programs; that is, how involved the government is in helping to train and support workers who are unemployed. It spent a whopping 2.6% of its GDP on labor market programs in 2010, accordingto the latest data available from the OECD. Germany, known for its generous social safety net, spent 2.3% of its GDP on labor programs, while the U.S. spent just 0.9%.

????But the difficulty in hiring and firing workers is just one defect of the French labor system. Small businesses are particularly hurt by the 35-hour law, which forces employers to pay their hourly workers overtime if they work more than 35 hours a week. As a result, the French work fewer hours than just about anybody in the OECD. In fact, the average French employee worked just 1,476 hours in 2011, according to the latest data available from the OECD and the French labor department. In contrast, workers in the U.S. rocked 1,704 hours per year, 21% more than their counterparts in France.