What distinguishes the Yellow Vests in France’s long history of social movements is how they’re organizing—organically, across industry and ideology, outside of politics or formal institutions. By wearing the “hi-vis” yellow vests all drivers in France are required to keep in their cars, they’ve turned a state-mandated obligation into a powerful symbol of protest. They’ve been able to grow and sustain their protest into a full-fledged movement by connecting issues they once fought for separately, arguing all workers suffer from the same economic and social struggles.
Similar shifts in activism can be seen in the US too. Teachers demonstrating at Red for Ed rallies are fighting not just for better pay and resources, but also for racial and economic justice in their communities. And young activists from the Sunrise Movement have been pushing for a Green New Deal (recently introduced in Congress by newly-elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), which connects issues of climate change and the environment back to the struggles of workers and the health of the economy. [...]
But these shifts in activism can be seen as a reflection of the changing nature of work. Changes in global trade, technology, and other forces like automation make it lot more difficult to find long-term employment. And the workplace has become more nebulous—increasingly made up of gig economy workers, freelancers, sub-contractors, and service employees—which makes it a lot harder for workers to organize and ask for specific improvements.
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