LAUSR

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand a spontaneous movement of social mobilization and protest known as the yellow vests and their unrelenting demand for increased buying power. Design/methodology/approach A capsule history of France and the universal struggle for a living wage lead to a post-Marxian process of intensified civic action to support the universal aims of well-being and fair play. Findings The yellow vests appear to be assuming the proportions of an unorthodox labor fraternity, a novel pressure network transcending the usual time-and-money quests of integrated trade unions. Research limitations/implications Little attention is paid to the changing nature of employment, work itself and labor competitiveness. These require further research. Originality/value Internal and external factors are identified, combining to explain the lack of discipline and orderly evolution by both animators and demonstrators.