Workers vote to extend strike at most visited Louvre museum

Employees at the Louvre Museum voted on Wednesday to extend a strike that has disrupted operations at the world’s most visited museum. Union workers were protesting chronic understaffing, building deterioration and recent management decisions — pressures intensified by a brazen crown jewels heist in October. The decision came during a morning general assembly, after workers had adopted the walkout unanimously earlier this week. The museum was already closed on Tuesday for its regular weekly shutdown.

It remained unclear whether the strike would force a full closure on Wednesday. Visitors holding tickets queued outside the museum in the morning as management assessed staffing levels and whether enough employees were available to safely open galleries. Tensions have been further sharpened by fallout from the theft of crown jewels during a daylight robbery that exposed serious security lapses at the museum.