Nov 26, 2007
You'll never guess what country has recently taken steps to insure a minimum amount of vacation time for its citizens
In the United States, not a single law -- either federal or state -- guarantees a single day of vacation time to anyone. We are the most backward prosperous nation on earth in that regard, and our failings have now highlighted by a recent announcement by the Chinese government. The Legislative Affairs Office of China's State Council has announced draft legislation awarding a week's vacation each year to persons who have been employed for one to ten years. After that, they get a second week and even a third week for more lengthy employment. Although the proposed amount of leave is absurdly short, it is at least a start, and stands in contrast to our own total lack of any public law guaranteeing a single day of vacation to anyone.
In a recent response to one of my post about vacation time, a reader wrote that vacation time should only be a matter for private negotiation between employer and employee, and never mandated by our legislative representatives; that under our free enterprise system, an employee is entitled to quit if he or she is unsatisfied with the length of their vacations, and is therefore in a fair bargaining position to demand more. It's interesting how the opponents of legislative action argue with words in place of reality.
In terms of the minimum wage, in terms of the work-week and the abolition of child labor, in the prohibition of discrimination in employment, in terms of a dozen laws ensuring proper working conditions, it was only when Congress or state legislatures acted that minimum wages, decent hours of work, an end to child labor, reduced discrimination, and proper working conditions, were brought about in America. When and if a humane new Congress is elected in November of 2008, I hope you will join me in forcefully proposing a statute guaranteeing a decent minimum of vacation time to every American. The time has come.
Write and read comments about this post.
In a recent response to one of my post about vacation time, a reader wrote that vacation time should only be a matter for private negotiation between employer and employee, and never mandated by our legislative representatives; that under our free enterprise system, an employee is entitled to quit if he or she is unsatisfied with the length of their vacations, and is therefore in a fair bargaining position to demand more. It's interesting how the opponents of legislative action argue with words in place of reality.
In terms of the minimum wage, in terms of the work-week and the abolition of child labor, in the prohibition of discrimination in employment, in terms of a dozen laws ensuring proper working conditions, it was only when Congress or state legislatures acted that minimum wages, decent hours of work, an end to child labor, reduced discrimination, and proper working conditions, were brought about in America. When and if a humane new Congress is elected in November of 2008, I hope you will join me in forcefully proposing a statute guaranteeing a decent minimum of vacation time to every American. The time has come.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
