There was another day of protests, blockades, and  violence in France.  All of this was over government efforts to hike the retirement age and reform the indebted pension system there.

Marseilles Airport, one of the key air hubs in  southern France, was blocked for several hours  (police had to break that up).

Police also moved in to stop young protestors over- turning cars and throwing bottles in France’s second largest city of Lyon.

And as refineries in France remained blocked, gas was running out.  Half the gas stations there are now said to be dry or running dry.

Even Lady Gaga postponed her Paris concert fearing that her roadies would not have enough fuel.

The final vote in the upper house of France’s parliament, the Senate, is expected in the next few days.  It’s also set to pass.

With that done and with a school vacation next week, the government of French President Nicholas Sarkozy is hoping tempers will settle.

But French union leaders are meeting tonight.  They’ve already said they will call for more protests.

Union membership in France, in fact, is one of the lowest of all OECD countries at 8 %, but they carry much more clout.

In the workplace, even non-union members follow the lead of the unions.   And on the “street,”  protest is a French tradition that needs little encouragement.

Throw in the young people who are following the union lead and then going off on their own violent bent and there is real French trouble.

President  Sarkozy said once again today that he would crack down on “troublemakers” and not budge on his reform stand.

His political mettle will be tested in the next days.