Thursday, May 17, 2007

No Liberal Slant in the Media

None at all...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to guaranteed paid vacation, U.S.
workers don't seem to get a break.
While the French get 30 days of paid
leave and most other Europeans receive at least 20, the country with the world's
biggest economy does not guarantee workers a single day, researchers said on
Wednesday.
Most U.S. firms do in fact give employees vacations, but the lack
of government guarantees means one in four private-sector workers do not get
paid leave, said researchers for the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a
Washington think tank.
"The United States is the only advanced economy in the
world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation days and paid holidays,"
said economist John Schmitt.
"Relying on businesses to voluntarily provide
paid leave just hasn't worked," he added. "It's a national embarrassment that 28
million Americans don't get any paid vacation or paid holidays."
Workers in
Finland had one of the best annual leave packages among developed countries, a
study by the center found. Finnish workers received 30 days of paid vacation
plus another nine paid holidays.
French workers were guaranteed 30 days of
paid annual leave, but only one paid holiday. Most European workers were
guaranteed at least 20 days of vacation, and some also received as many as 13
paid holidays.
Canadian workers were guaranteed 10 days of vacation plus
another eight paid holidays, while Japanese laborers only were guaranteed 10
days of annual leave, the study found.
U.S. workers were guaranteed neither
paid vacations nor paid holidays.
Despite the lack of government guarantees,
90 percent of U.S. employers offered vacation, the study found. Workers received
an average of nine days of paid vacation and six paid holidays, a total of 15
days off per year.
"The sum of the average paid vacation and paid holidays
provided to U.S. workers in the private sector -- 15 in total -- would not meet
even the minimum required by law in 19 other rich countries," Schmitt said.

It is not the duty of the government to force companies to pay for sick, vacation, or holidays. That is a perk of employment. If you don't like your job, get another one that gives you said perks.

You have NO right to a job. You have NO right to health care. You have NO right of employer paid vacation.

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