Many workers in America—especially lower income workers—don't get paid vacation time, and can't afford to take time off. Americans put the most time at work than any other developed country. In 1979, our working hours were comparable to most other other developed countries, with Japan out-working us. Today, we lead the pack, putting in more hours than all of them. Our 40-hour work-week is now 47 hours long on average.
A recent survey revealed the following:
1. More than half of Americans haven't taken a single day of vacation so far this year.
2. Another 18 percent have taken fewer than five vacation days.
3. The rest is split between those who took fewer than 5, and those who took between 5-10 vacation days this year.
4. More than a quarter of American workers don't get any vacation days off.
5. The lower the income of Americans, the fewer vacation days they have taken this year.
6. Around half of those in the bottom three income groups say they haven’t taken a day off.
7. A quarter of those making $75,000 to $149,000 say the same.
8. No one making more than $150,000 says they’ve gone without a day off.
9. Women take less vacation time than men. More women report having taken zero days off while more men have taken more than 10 vacation days.
10. More than 40 percent of Americans who get paid vacation don’t plan to use it all this year.
11. 15 percent say they haven’t taken paid time off for something other than an illness or emergency in over a year.
Most, if not virtually all waiters, busboys, chefs and cleaning staff at restaurants in the US do not get paid sick days–with the exception of those few who have union contracts and have managed to negotiate sick days in their contracts. If they feel like they are getting sick workers with no paid sick leave must do their best to hide their symptoms and go to work. Ditto for the maids and housekeepers who tend to the homes of the wealthy. And the same is true for the majority of the low-paid staff at privately run day-care centers.
Many of these people, should they start to get sick , are likely to try and hide those early symptoms, hoping they prove to be nothing. With food to buy, evictions to avoid, and no money for a doctor, such service workers will have to go to work, and the people they serve — restaurant customers, shoppers, and wealthy homeowners — will inevitably become sick.
Besides the confidence many Europeans have in their universal health care systems, is that they know that waiters, maids and housekeepers have a right to paid sick leave, so they are not going to be on the job infecting others.
In the US there is a Darwinian business philosophy that argues that the poor do not deserve “handouts” like paid vacations or sick leave.
A large part of the problem is that the media have convinced too many people that unions are evil who present the viewpoint that paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, minimum wages and unions are some sort of giant evil that will destroy the economy and society in general. Unions were the ones responsible for workplace safety regulations, the 40 hour work week, vacations, holidays off, over time pay, etc, things that corporate America hates. With unemployment still at record high levels, people are afraid to rock the boat because they can be easily replaced.
It is puzzling why so many Americans will not speak up for their own quality of life. Many Americans have become an overwhelmingly individualistic that people seem unable to muster the gumption to organize around a common cause. Also the pro-business establishment on the Federal and most state levels is way too powerful and would stifle any pro-worker legislation and prevent it from passage. What seems obvious is that there is an extra dose of tension as the insecurities of the times lead to feelings of vulnerability and defensive reactions. The reluctance to take vacation time ties into this.
One reason why the corporate wage-slavers are trying to get out of providing health care. They don't want to pay for the health problems their workers are now suffering from, due to overwork. Look at how the life spans of low-wage workers has declined over the past few decades. Older workers, who were used to a sane workload, are basically being worked to death so they don't use as much retirement money from the programs still not stolen by the vulture capitalists. This is the real face of corporate America. Our forefathers shed their blood for an end to these sort of practices yet so far we have put up with it. Now that people have discarded unions as a viable protection for this kind of abuse, there is nothing stopping Big Business.
Adapted from here
A recent survey revealed the following:
1. More than half of Americans haven't taken a single day of vacation so far this year.
2. Another 18 percent have taken fewer than five vacation days.
3. The rest is split between those who took fewer than 5, and those who took between 5-10 vacation days this year.
4. More than a quarter of American workers don't get any vacation days off.
5. The lower the income of Americans, the fewer vacation days they have taken this year.
6. Around half of those in the bottom three income groups say they haven’t taken a day off.
7. A quarter of those making $75,000 to $149,000 say the same.
8. No one making more than $150,000 says they’ve gone without a day off.
9. Women take less vacation time than men. More women report having taken zero days off while more men have taken more than 10 vacation days.
10. More than 40 percent of Americans who get paid vacation don’t plan to use it all this year.
11. 15 percent say they haven’t taken paid time off for something other than an illness or emergency in over a year.
Most, if not virtually all waiters, busboys, chefs and cleaning staff at restaurants in the US do not get paid sick days–with the exception of those few who have union contracts and have managed to negotiate sick days in their contracts. If they feel like they are getting sick workers with no paid sick leave must do their best to hide their symptoms and go to work. Ditto for the maids and housekeepers who tend to the homes of the wealthy. And the same is true for the majority of the low-paid staff at privately run day-care centers.
Many of these people, should they start to get sick , are likely to try and hide those early symptoms, hoping they prove to be nothing. With food to buy, evictions to avoid, and no money for a doctor, such service workers will have to go to work, and the people they serve — restaurant customers, shoppers, and wealthy homeowners — will inevitably become sick.
Besides the confidence many Europeans have in their universal health care systems, is that they know that waiters, maids and housekeepers have a right to paid sick leave, so they are not going to be on the job infecting others.
In the US there is a Darwinian business philosophy that argues that the poor do not deserve “handouts” like paid vacations or sick leave.
A large part of the problem is that the media have convinced too many people that unions are evil who present the viewpoint that paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, minimum wages and unions are some sort of giant evil that will destroy the economy and society in general. Unions were the ones responsible for workplace safety regulations, the 40 hour work week, vacations, holidays off, over time pay, etc, things that corporate America hates. With unemployment still at record high levels, people are afraid to rock the boat because they can be easily replaced.
It is puzzling why so many Americans will not speak up for their own quality of life. Many Americans have become an overwhelmingly individualistic that people seem unable to muster the gumption to organize around a common cause. Also the pro-business establishment on the Federal and most state levels is way too powerful and would stifle any pro-worker legislation and prevent it from passage. What seems obvious is that there is an extra dose of tension as the insecurities of the times lead to feelings of vulnerability and defensive reactions. The reluctance to take vacation time ties into this.
One reason why the corporate wage-slavers are trying to get out of providing health care. They don't want to pay for the health problems their workers are now suffering from, due to overwork. Look at how the life spans of low-wage workers has declined over the past few decades. Older workers, who were used to a sane workload, are basically being worked to death so they don't use as much retirement money from the programs still not stolen by the vulture capitalists. This is the real face of corporate America. Our forefathers shed their blood for an end to these sort of practices yet so far we have put up with it. Now that people have discarded unions as a viable protection for this kind of abuse, there is nothing stopping Big Business.
Adapted from here
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