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French President Francois Hollande has vowed to improve his country's competitiveness. But to better compete, France has to overhaul its labor market, and some hard-earned workers' rights and privileges could be lost.

This year, two states passed right-to-work laws, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall attempt. Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect says the future for organized labor remains bleak.

A threatened strike by the International Longshoremen's Association at 14 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts has been called off. Federal negotiators say the union has reached an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance and will extend contract talks.

The term "right to work" has been in the news a lot this week. On Tuesday, Michigan became the 24th state to enact right-to-work legislation. It means unions can no longer require workers to pay full dues, even if they're working in a union shop.

Michigan this week provided more shock treatment for organized labor and, by extension, the Democratic Party. And a lame-duck Legislature showed that elections do have consequences. But in this case, it was the election two years ago — the one that swept out Democrats in key statehouse races.

The GOP-backed measures, passed earlier in the day by Michigan's state House, were signed into law by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in the afternoon.

Once a mainstay of the labor arsenal, strikes have largely fallen off since the early 1980s. So a recent spate of high-profile disruptions has labor experts wondering if we're seeing a resurgence. They say worker frustrations over stagnant wages and reduced benefits may have finally hit a tipping point.

Clerical workers walked out a week ago, demanding guarantees that their jobs won't be outsourced in the future. Longshoremen wouldn't cross the picket lines, bringing the nation's busiest ports to a standstill. But work should resume there today.

Unionized clerical workers go on strike at Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, and longshoremen honor their picket lines, greatly slowing work at one of the busiest harbor regions in the country.

Exit polls showed the economy was Issue No. 1 with voters in this presidential election. And it didn't take long for labor organizers and business leaders to start offering their thoughts on the re-election of President Obama.