France. While in many countries labor unions focus on worker rights and fair pay, French unions have historically played an active part in the political system of the country. Labor unions in France routinely directly advocate for, and support, candidates who are friendly to labor issues. At least partly because of this political activity, unions in France have been able to control the work environment in the areas of pay and benefits as well as work-life balance. Even though only about 5% of French workers are in trade unions, the unions and their supporters have been able to get laws passed at the national level that limit the organi-zation's ability to vary such things as workload, working hours, part-time employment, and compensation.lill Also, throughout the European Union, labor has won greater benefits, including more paid vacation, than most employees get in the United States. As we can quickly see from the sample of countries above, union influence affects relationships between labor and management in a significantly different way in different countries. For those working in a business that operates in multiple countries, these differences in labor laws will be significant. You may have to become well informed on the differing laws concerning labor relations and union representation in each of the countries in which your firm works.