Only in France?

I learned in my French class that the Paris prostitutes went on strike in 2002. (Unlike several other European countries, prostitution is not legal in France.) They were unhappy that prostitutes from eastern Europe were taking away their business by charging lower fees. Curious and surprised, I did a little research and learned that this was not the first time for prostitutes to protest in France. In 1975, 150 prostitutes took over a church in Lyon to protest police harassment and the unsolved murders of several prostitutes. This led to prostitute protests throughout France, a takeover of another church in Paris and the demand that prostitutes receive the same rights and benefits as other workers. While the protesters' demands were not met, it marked the beginning of a union of sorts for prostitutes called the French Collective of Prostitutes and inspired sex workers in other countries (including the United States) to organize in the pursuit of equal rights. So no, it's not just in France that prostitutes organize and strike, but we can perhaps thank the French for the idea.

See http://www.smmirror.com/Volume1/issue6/hooker.html for more information on the civil rights movement of sex workers.