The recent introduction of the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 in Congress highlights an interesting fact: The United States is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee paid vacation for workers.
More than 147 countries mandate paid vacation. European workers get at least four weeks per year. Only 14 percent of U.S. workers, however, will receive two weeks or more off this year—and an even lesser number among the most oppressed.
Workers whose employers voluntarily offer paid vacations often fear that taking time off may cost them raises, promotions or even their jobs. Lack of adequate time away from work has been found to increase incidences of heart attacks and depression.
A poll by Take Back Your Time found that 69 percent support for the idea of legally required vacation time in the United States—but employers largely oppose it. A cause with such popular appeal that is not yet law is indicative of whose interests really count under capitalist democracy.
