"We Americans...with the shortest vacations in the developed world..." --Rick Steves

[CreekDog]

It was part of a larger quote about traveling efficiently in a pledge break for KQED San Francisco, but it's worth mentioning here that it was said.

[PDJane]

1. Shortest vacations, right to work for peanuts, no maternity leave..

No universal health care, lousy benefits, the worst severance pay laws in the world, stolen overtime..........third world country, anyone?

[CreekDog]

2. we're part of the "developed world"

though we are undeveloping as we speak.

[lpbk2713]

17. And the irony of it all ...

people continue to drink the RW Kool-Aid and condemn organized labor while at the same
time we are waving bye-bye to all the gains the Labor Movement has made for us.

[6502]

21. Want to cry?... Check out these charts....

I happened to read these on Mother Jones just a couple of days ago:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts

Read it and weep.

[kentuck]

3. I suppose, in the end...?

We get what we settle for?

[CreekDog]

4. I think we would have it if we didn't have a Senate apportioned undemocratically

[Sirveri]

27. So you'd prefer the same makeup that the House has?

That would be Republican dominated.

[CreekDog]

29. not with 6 year terms it wouldn't.

the senate isn't Democratically apportioned.

California's 40 million people get 2 senators, just like Wyoming's 500k people and DC's zero senators.

that sucks, it's completely undemocratic, so undemocratic that the Supreme Court made states do away with their own senates which were similarly apportioned.

[a kennedy]

23. and oh yah, the unions are to blame....

NOT. What the h*ll has happened......

[woo me with science]

5. Get back on your wheel.

You work for someone.

[Initech]

6. My German friend and I were discussing this - he gets six weeks of paid vacation.

I get... zero days of paid vacation. But America is the greatest country in the world!! Or so I'm told.

[Ron Obvious]

7. And that vacation is mandatory...

And that vacation is mandatory, which sounds fascist until you realise that if it wasn't, you'd have your boss put pressure on you not to take it. Which is what we have here.

[Initech]

11. I know - when we were talking about the differences between European and American workers...

It was truly mind blowing - they get paid vacation, all the raises, every benefit you can imagine - here we're being played for chumps by the GOP. They've held our rights hostage and literally giving the millionaires and billionaires everything they want. It's disgusting what they're able to get away with - and we the people at experiencing Stockholm Syndrome with them it seems.

[tammywammy]

9. 6 weeks, plus they have a bank holiday every two or three weeks it seems

[shcrane71]

14. A Swede recently told me that after 40, workers are allotted two more weeks of vacation.

My reply, "Oh, so it's much more difficult for workers over 40 to find employment?" The Swede looked dumbfounded. I felt terrible. I had to tell him that in America we're really "cut throat."

Also, I think that Europeans should understand that when Americans tourists are trying to determine what to do and what to skip while on a visit, it's because we have such little time. It's imperative to make the most of it.

Rick Steve's is great.

[Diclotican]

20. shcrane71

shcrane71

One of the reasons most europeans have paid leave, vacation, and a public healtcare is because we have "good" unions - who the government and companies have not been able to bust as they have being in the US for many, many years.... If you in US have had strong trade unions, who is willing, and able to fight for "the workers" then US would have had universal Healtcare, paid Vacation, and decent work, even after age of 40....

In fact more than 50 mill americans, would be better off, with strong unions, and universal healtcare... 50 Mill who today is without insurance - and in fact live in fear for being sick - because they can not pay for the medicine they need...

Diclotican

[shcrane71]

24. Americans know this; however, our businesses have been overtaken by terrorists.

Managers are eager to show their anti-union sentiments as it means they will be promoted. Anti-union sentiments are taught in business schools (i.e. GM failed because assembly line workers were making 25.00 an hour). And for the entry-level worker who has ever indicated any sympathy for unions, they will be watched, "managed out" of their job, or fired in such a way as to let others know that even talking about a union would be highly detrimental to one's income.

If the above tactics don't work, then moving operations to right-to-work states or out of the country will work. Wal-mart shuts down stores rather than have a union. If the operations can't work, then hiring undocumented workers while our INS does nothing for decades is a great way to get a workforce that is difficult to organize.

Divide and conquer works well.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. Shut up and keep rowing

you'll drift backwards if you don't.........

Sad.

[kestrel91316]

10. What's a "vacation"??

[kentauros]

13. Something that the rest of the world calls

a "holiday". They even make it sound nicer!

[Honeycombe8]

22. I take time off of work, but have never gone on a vacation in my entire adult life.

I didn't want to spend the $, and I've always had pets, which increases the cost for kenneling. I also had a fear of becoming homeless, so felt I should save the $ instead of spend it.

That's fine. I don't feel deprived. My family historically never went on vacations. It was something that wealthy people did. I watch documentaries instead. I've seen Ireland, Italy, Maine, the northwest, you name it, courtesy PBS.

[BlueJazz]

12. From talking to people over the years, I would say about 90-95 percent...

... of the American workers have NO idea how lousy we have it in the workplace.

[shcrane71]

15. That's why we must keep telling them. nt

[CreekDog]

16. I was on a tour in Munich last year (the only American there)

among Europeans, Indians, Aussies, etc.

I was the only one from a country without universal health care and without required vacation.

[CTyankee]

26. Which is because the 1% keep shoveling this "socialism" shit. I would bet that 95% of

Americans think socialism is something that is terrible and enslaves people, imposing impossibly high taxes and limiting their ability to get "excellent" health care. They are really ignorant but they just don't know any better...

[WillyT]

18. Back In The 80's When I Was Teaching, I Met A Teacher From Australia...

he told me he had every 5th year off with pay.

I thought, how fantsatic is THAT!

I forgot all about that until I saw this thread.

Looks like some are still doing that...

Link: http://www.workplaceinfo.com.au/payroll/payments-and-expenses/work-for-4-years-and-take-the-5th-off-with-pay

Link: http://www.economicsforeveryone.ca/node/49

Link: http://epa.sagepub.com/content/14/1/83.abstract

[Violet_Crumble]

28. I work for the Australian govt, and we've got that sort of thing too...

It's not as fantastic as it sounds on first glance. What happens is the four years of work get paid at a reduction of 20% and the amount put aside by the employer over those four years is paid out in the fifth year when yr taking the break. Long Service Leave is far better. Once you've been working at the same place for ten years you get given three months long service leave, and there's no pay reduction or anything like that...

That probably didn't make sense, so here's the bit from my work's enterprise agreement.

Sabbatical Leave



An employee whose sabbatical leave application is approved receives one years' Sabbatical Leave by agreeing to forgo 20% of their eligible salary on each payday in each of the four years immediately prior to going on one years' sabbatical leave.


During the sabbatical year employees will be paid an amount equivalent to the amounts forgone from salary for the previous four years, in equal fortnightly instalments.

[freshwest]

19. What's a vacation?

[Art_from_Ark]

30. In my experience, a "vacation" in the US

is usually the time between Friday evening and Sunday night when workers have the chance rest up for the start of the next week's work session.

[freshwest]

31. Sounds about right. Many didn't have the freedom or money to have much fun anywhere else.

My friends in Europe, now they take vacations, travel and stuff. I've only had in 40 years a couple of those, and I was always nervous about the cost. But if you can enjoy yourself at home, that weekend is a great thing, if you get it.

[DiverDave]

25. Who can afford a vacation?

Not me.
We havnt gone anywhere since 06.

Life in america, just keeps gettin better.