Only Two Weeks Vacation Per Year In The Us???
Oct 27th 2004, 7:19 pm
#91
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Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:42:19 -0700, Richard Cline <[email protected]>
wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
>"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote:
>It is interesting that many of the best and brightest people immigrate
>to the US for their career betterment.
>Dick
And piles and piles of Americans come to Europe for their career
betterment. Just come to the expat community in my church.
Barb
wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
>"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote:
>It is interesting that many of the best and brightest people immigrate
>to the US for their career betterment.
>Dick
And piles and piles of Americans come to Europe for their career
betterment. Just come to the expat community in my church.
Barb
Oct 27th 2004, 7:22 pm
#92
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Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
2 weeks is pretty much the norm over here. Always has been.
"Jonathan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:483un0lc2o3rmp3kju8enknp9h845l1v50@news...
> When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
> of paid leave PER YEAR I could scarcely believe it. He said yeah but
> we get paid public holidays.
> In the UK we get 4 to 5 weeks paid leave plus public holidays . Other
> countries like France get 5 to 6 weeks plus public holidays. Plus
> they only work 35 hours per week yet they are one of the most
> productive countries in the world.
> If this is true about the US, how can the average American live under
> such a system and not lose their mind???
> Life can't all be about work. It seems such a system would breed
> highly neurotic and hysterical people. I wouldn't want to live like
> that no matter how much they paid me.
"Jonathan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:483un0lc2o3rmp3kju8enknp9h845l1v50@news...
> When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
> of paid leave PER YEAR I could scarcely believe it. He said yeah but
> we get paid public holidays.
> In the UK we get 4 to 5 weeks paid leave plus public holidays . Other
> countries like France get 5 to 6 weeks plus public holidays. Plus
> they only work 35 hours per week yet they are one of the most
> productive countries in the world.
> If this is true about the US, how can the average American live under
> such a system and not lose their mind???
> Life can't all be about work. It seems such a system would breed
> highly neurotic and hysterical people. I wouldn't want to live like
> that no matter how much they paid me.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:23 pm
#93
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
>
> I don't like to travel. Sometimes I'll take a day or two or five to work
> on my house or garden. At Christmas I usually take off the week between
> Christmas and New Year's and hang around the house with my husband. Once
> in a great while, I'll take off a day and read or something (especially if
> there's a new Terry Pratchett novel out).
>
> There's nothing stopping me from taking my vacation days, except I don't
> want to. I have plenty of time to do everything I want. I don't have any
> children, so my time is pretty much my own.
>
> Cindy Hamilton
Hopefully some day you will realize there is much more to live and
experience than you currently seem to think there is. And then you will
want those vacation days. I hope that day comes soon.
> I don't like to travel. Sometimes I'll take a day or two or five to work
> on my house or garden. At Christmas I usually take off the week between
> Christmas and New Year's and hang around the house with my husband. Once
> in a great while, I'll take off a day and read or something (especially if
> there's a new Terry Pratchett novel out).
>
> There's nothing stopping me from taking my vacation days, except I don't
> want to. I have plenty of time to do everything I want. I don't have any
> children, so my time is pretty much my own.
>
> Cindy Hamilton
Hopefully some day you will realize there is much more to live and
experience than you currently seem to think there is. And then you will
want those vacation days. I hope that day comes soon.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:29 pm
#94
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Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
In rec.travel.europe AJC <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Many places do allow you to take time without pay.
> Do many new workers take unpaid leave? If not it is just incredible.
> In much of Europe people are used to a 2 or 3 week summer holiday, a
> week's wintersport, another week at home, and a few long weekends for
> a city break or whatever.
It depends. If they can afford to they will. For example, I am currently job
hunting. If I get a new job before February, I have 5 days of vacation (a
long weekend in January and a week in February) planned. Wherever I go I will
ask for either the abilty to go to negaive leave or to take time off without pay
so I can still go. But some people don't. My son is an apprentice electrician.
He gets no leave until after he has been a member of the union (which happens in
December for 1 year. So he can't take paid leave until 12.2005. He cannot
afford to take more than a day here or there off.
Julie
--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
>>Many places do allow you to take time without pay.
> Do many new workers take unpaid leave? If not it is just incredible.
> In much of Europe people are used to a 2 or 3 week summer holiday, a
> week's wintersport, another week at home, and a few long weekends for
> a city break or whatever.
It depends. If they can afford to they will. For example, I am currently job
hunting. If I get a new job before February, I have 5 days of vacation (a
long weekend in January and a week in February) planned. Wherever I go I will
ask for either the abilty to go to negaive leave or to take time off without pay
so I can still go. But some people don't. My son is an apprentice electrician.
He gets no leave until after he has been a member of the union (which happens in
December for 1 year. So he can't take paid leave until 12.2005. He cannot
afford to take more than a day here or there off.
Julie
--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
Oct 27th 2004, 7:35 pm
#95
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Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
Rod Speed wrote:
> Jonathan <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:483un0lc2o3rmp3kju8enknp9h845l1v50@news...
>
>
>>When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
>
>
> Thats bullshit.
>
Yeah, total bullshit. Many people only get *one* week, especially if
they have been at their job less than three years. I had many jobs where
annual vacation was one week for the first two or three years and then
would increase to two weeks until I have been there 5 years. Then three
weeks. Whoopee. For some companies it's 10 years before you get this
princely vacation package. ANd then there's people who work part time.
Many companies have found that hiring two part time people for one job
is cost productive - no health benefits required, and vacation time is
cut in half too. Yep. Working in America was really great.
I never worked anywhere long enough to qualify for the three weeks
vacation level.
> Jonathan <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:483un0lc2o3rmp3kju8enknp9h845l1v50@news...
>
>
>>When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
>
>
> Thats bullshit.
>
Yeah, total bullshit. Many people only get *one* week, especially if
they have been at their job less than three years. I had many jobs where
annual vacation was one week for the first two or three years and then
would increase to two weeks until I have been there 5 years. Then three
weeks. Whoopee. For some companies it's 10 years before you get this
princely vacation package. ANd then there's people who work part time.
Many companies have found that hiring two part time people for one job
is cost productive - no health benefits required, and vacation time is
cut in half too. Yep. Working in America was really great.
I never worked anywhere long enough to qualify for the three weeks
vacation level.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:37 pm
#96
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 20:32:59 +0200, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
wrote:
>The Reids writes:
>> the question here is why do so many "rightwing" Americans seem to
>> dispise trade unions etc and just seem to believe this work-work
>> culture is to their advantage?
>In part it is because they've never been exposed to anything else.
And what they have been exposed to is a lifetime of propaganda that
drums in to them that the American way is the right way, the best way,
the only way.
--==++AJC++==--
wrote:
>The Reids writes:
>> the question here is why do so many "rightwing" Americans seem to
>> dispise trade unions etc and just seem to believe this work-work
>> culture is to their advantage?
>In part it is because they've never been exposed to anything else.
And what they have been exposed to is a lifetime of propaganda that
drums in to them that the American way is the right way, the best way,
the only way.
--==++AJC++==--
Oct 27th 2004, 7:38 pm
#97
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
Deep Frayed Morgues wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 01:43:38 -0400, "D. Lloyd" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> I detest work. It bores and stresses me, and I am constantly looking
> at ways to do less of it for more money. This is an attitude that was
> viewed as blasphemy last time (early 2001) I was in the US. In the
> company I was working at, it was expected that everyone arrived an
> hour before they started getting paid, and stopped two hours after
> they stopped getting paid. A large number of them worked at least one
> day on the weekend too.
I had a former friend who worked for an insurance company. During the summer they
required "mandatory" overtime, which usually resulted in her working at least
three Saturdays every month, in addition to the 50 hours or so during the work
week. And this was in the northeast US, where summertime is the only time to
really get out and do the things most people enjoy. From what I understand, in
most of the developed countries of the world during the summertime workers have
the opportunity to take plenty of time off and enjoy it.
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 01:43:38 -0400, "D. Lloyd" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> I detest work. It bores and stresses me, and I am constantly looking
> at ways to do less of it for more money. This is an attitude that was
> viewed as blasphemy last time (early 2001) I was in the US. In the
> company I was working at, it was expected that everyone arrived an
> hour before they started getting paid, and stopped two hours after
> they stopped getting paid. A large number of them worked at least one
> day on the weekend too.
I had a former friend who worked for an insurance company. During the summer they
required "mandatory" overtime, which usually resulted in her working at least
three Saturdays every month, in addition to the 50 hours or so during the work
week. And this was in the northeast US, where summertime is the only time to
really get out and do the things most people enjoy. From what I understand, in
most of the developed countries of the world during the summertime workers have
the opportunity to take plenty of time off and enjoy it.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:40 pm
#98
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 12:11:31 -0700, yes <[email protected]> wrote:
>> the best performing western economy for 5 years.
>How is Australia considered a western economy?
on a sphere everywhere is west...
The label western economy is not geographical.
Jim.
>> the best performing western economy for 5 years.
>How is Australia considered a western economy?
on a sphere everywhere is west...
The label western economy is not geographical.
Jim.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:42 pm
#99
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
Magda wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 06:23:13 +0200, in rec.travel.europe, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
> arranged some electrons, so they looked like this :
>
> ... Jonathan writes:
> ...
> ... > When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
> ... > of paid leave PER YEAR I could scarcely believe it. He said yeah but
> ... > we get paid public holidays.
> ...
> ... Many people don't get any paid leave at all.
>
> Now, you *have* to be kidding us. Are you telling us that slave work is legal over there??
>
No, people get paid to work, so it's not technically slavery. But it's
true there are people afraid to take any time off.
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 06:23:13 +0200, in rec.travel.europe, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
> arranged some electrons, so they looked like this :
>
> ... Jonathan writes:
> ...
> ... > When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
> ... > of paid leave PER YEAR I could scarcely believe it. He said yeah but
> ... > we get paid public holidays.
> ...
> ... Many people don't get any paid leave at all.
>
> Now, you *have* to be kidding us. Are you telling us that slave work is legal over there??
>
No, people get paid to work, so it's not technically slavery. But it's
true there are people afraid to take any time off.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:43 pm
#100
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Yaofeng" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>
> > >
> > > I work for a very large UK company. I am on a 36 hour week, I work one
> 5
> > > day week followed by one 4 day week (Monday to Friday) this equates to
> 26
> > > scheduled days off a year. On top of that I get 6 weeks annual leave.
> Add
> > > the 26 scheduled days off makes a total of 11 weeks 1 day plus the
> public
> > > holidays.
> >
> >
> > That's why everything is so expensive in the UK. Isn't it? Gasoline
> > prices 3 to 4 times those of the US, meals 1.5 to 2 times, groceries,
> > etc... Because you produce to little...
>
> May be so but at least I am happy. Don't have to worry about being shot
> either.
I am happy too, and not a bit concerned about being shot at all. I
never lock my car in my driveway nor in my office parking lot. There
have been numerous nights when we simply forgot to close our garage
doors and wake up next morning to find that out. We live in a town 30
miles south-west of the Manhattan.
You know, 25 years or so ago when I was young and stupid I commented
on a similar situation to an American couple who came to visit Taiwan.
That was before I moved to the US. Having had this completely wrong
perception that the US was a crime ridden country no one can walk
safely on the street, (Why? because the news media report nothing but
atrocious crime stories.) I told my guests they could walk on the
street in Taiwan any time of the day without fear of being mugged.
They replied they could do the same thing in their home town in the US
too.
So much for the fear of being shot at.
Now I do not own a gun in the house. But I fully support and agree
when there is gun control, only the government and the criminals end
up having guns. And I don't like that.
> "Yaofeng" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>
> > >
> > > I work for a very large UK company. I am on a 36 hour week, I work one
> 5
> > > day week followed by one 4 day week (Monday to Friday) this equates to
> 26
> > > scheduled days off a year. On top of that I get 6 weeks annual leave.
> Add
> > > the 26 scheduled days off makes a total of 11 weeks 1 day plus the
> public
> > > holidays.
> >
> >
> > That's why everything is so expensive in the UK. Isn't it? Gasoline
> > prices 3 to 4 times those of the US, meals 1.5 to 2 times, groceries,
> > etc... Because you produce to little...
>
> May be so but at least I am happy. Don't have to worry about being shot
> either.
I am happy too, and not a bit concerned about being shot at all. I
never lock my car in my driveway nor in my office parking lot. There
have been numerous nights when we simply forgot to close our garage
doors and wake up next morning to find that out. We live in a town 30
miles south-west of the Manhattan.
You know, 25 years or so ago when I was young and stupid I commented
on a similar situation to an American couple who came to visit Taiwan.
That was before I moved to the US. Having had this completely wrong
perception that the US was a crime ridden country no one can walk
safely on the street, (Why? because the news media report nothing but
atrocious crime stories.) I told my guests they could walk on the
street in Taiwan any time of the day without fear of being mugged.
They replied they could do the same thing in their home town in the US
too.
So much for the fear of being shot at.
Now I do not own a gun in the house. But I fully support and agree
when there is gun control, only the government and the criminals end
up having guns. And I don't like that.
Oct 27th 2004, 7:45 pm
#101
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:19:39 +0200, Barbara Bomberger
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:42:19 -0700, Richard Cline <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>>In article <[email protected]>,
>>"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>It is interesting that many of the best and brightest people immigrate
>>to the US for their career betterment.
>>Dick
>And piles and piles of Americans come to Europe for their career
>betterment. Just come to the expat community in my church.
>Barb
Indeed it is astonishing the number of Americans one finds living all
over Europe, and loving it judging by those I encounter.
--==++AJC++==--
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:42:19 -0700, Richard Cline <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>>In article <[email protected]>,
>>"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>It is interesting that many of the best and brightest people immigrate
>>to the US for their career betterment.
>>Dick
>And piles and piles of Americans come to Europe for their career
>betterment. Just come to the expat community in my church.
>Barb
Indeed it is astonishing the number of Americans one finds living all
over Europe, and loving it judging by those I encounter.
--==++AJC++==--
Oct 27th 2004, 7:52 pm
#102
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
"Informer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Jane Sitton" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>
> > There are no set laws that I know of regarding how much vacation a
> > company offers. Nowadays, many companies get around offering vacation
> > altogether by hiring only part-time employees.
> >
> > --Jane
>
> In the UK the absolote minimum the law allows is 4 weeks plus public
> holidays. I would not work for a company that offered less than 5 weeks.
I once talked to a manager transplanted from the UK. He said in
Europe management budget 1600 man-hours a year. In the US, we know it
is 2,000 man-hours a year. There in lies the difference. I think the
per capita income of the respective countries reflect that.
You think outsourcing is bad? The way I see it, if those guys in
India and in China who earn 1/10 or less salary than us but can do the
same work we do, we don't deserve the high pay and the life style that
goes along with it.
> "Jane Sitton" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>
> > There are no set laws that I know of regarding how much vacation a
> > company offers. Nowadays, many companies get around offering vacation
> > altogether by hiring only part-time employees.
> >
> > --Jane
>
> In the UK the absolote minimum the law allows is 4 weeks plus public
> holidays. I would not work for a company that offered less than 5 weeks.
I once talked to a manager transplanted from the UK. He said in
Europe management budget 1600 man-hours a year. In the US, we know it
is 2,000 man-hours a year. There in lies the difference. I think the
per capita income of the respective countries reflect that.
You think outsourcing is bad? The way I see it, if those guys in
India and in China who earn 1/10 or less salary than us but can do the
same work we do, we don't deserve the high pay and the life style that
goes along with it.
Oct 27th 2004, 8:02 pm
#103
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
"Mxsmanic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Ted Ng" <ted_ng@[nospam].com> writes:
>> It sucks, but I see in the news that business conditions are now forcing
>> Europe to cut back on the extensive social welfare system.
> It will never regress to the American extreme.
>> The wrenching changes the US has gone through over the past decade,
>> western Europe will also have to experience.
> Nobody imposed those changes on the U.S.; it made most of the changes
> itself in search of ever-higher corporate profits.
Yeah. That must be why airlines are in bankrutpcy court, department stores
like K-Mart and Toys R Us are in (or barely out of) bankruptcy, and why 95%
of our shoes are imported.
>> Is it fair for American and European workers to compete against workers
>> in other
>> countries who make 1/10 the salary and have no benefits or workplace
>> safety
>> regulations?
> It depends on whom you you ask.
>> All I know is whenever I go into the store, I struggle
>> to find anything that isn't manufactured in China, stuff that we used to
>> make. It makes me sad.
> It makes shareholders glad. They don't care about anyone else or about
> the future of the economy; they just want it all now.
> --
> Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
news:[email protected]...
> "Ted Ng" <ted_ng@[nospam].com> writes:
>> It sucks, but I see in the news that business conditions are now forcing
>> Europe to cut back on the extensive social welfare system.
> It will never regress to the American extreme.
>> The wrenching changes the US has gone through over the past decade,
>> western Europe will also have to experience.
> Nobody imposed those changes on the U.S.; it made most of the changes
> itself in search of ever-higher corporate profits.
Yeah. That must be why airlines are in bankrutpcy court, department stores
like K-Mart and Toys R Us are in (or barely out of) bankruptcy, and why 95%
of our shoes are imported.
>> Is it fair for American and European workers to compete against workers
>> in other
>> countries who make 1/10 the salary and have no benefits or workplace
>> safety
>> regulations?
> It depends on whom you you ask.
>> All I know is whenever I go into the store, I struggle
>> to find anything that isn't manufactured in China, stuff that we used to
>> make. It makes me sad.
> It makes shareholders glad. They don't care about anyone else or about
> the future of the economy; they just want it all now.
> --
> Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
Oct 27th 2004, 8:07 pm
#104
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
anonymouse <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>>> When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
>> Thats bullshit.
> it's actually very common for people with less than 2-5 years at a company to
> only get 1 week's vacation, and that isn't necessarily paid vacation.
Small subset of 'people in the US'
>>> Other countries like France get 5 to 6 weeks plus public holidays.
>>> Plus they only work 35 hours per week yet they are
>>> one of the most productive countries in the world.
> as much as I like the motherland France is NOT one of the "most productive
> countries in the world".
>>> how can the average American live under
>>> such a system and not lose their mind???
> it's one of the reasons people drink to much,
Thats a hard claim to substantiate, particularly
when compared with France and england.
> do to many hard drugs, etc.
Ditto. Most users of hard drugs in the
US appear to be those that dont work.
>>> I wouldn't want to live like that no matter how much they paid me.
> now -I- get 24 (work)days vacation, plus a week at christmas (this year it's
> the week between christmas and new years), plus holidays, plus sick leave....
> and I've got good medical coverage, almost any doctor, 750$ deductible for my
> family's medical coverage (300$/individual), prescriptions, etc.
> now I could make more in my trade other places... but I wouldn't get the
> benefits.
message news:[email protected]...
>>> When an American friend told me people in the US only have two weeks
>> Thats bullshit.
> it's actually very common for people with less than 2-5 years at a company to
> only get 1 week's vacation, and that isn't necessarily paid vacation.
Small subset of 'people in the US'
>>> Other countries like France get 5 to 6 weeks plus public holidays.
>>> Plus they only work 35 hours per week yet they are
>>> one of the most productive countries in the world.
> as much as I like the motherland France is NOT one of the "most productive
> countries in the world".
>>> how can the average American live under
>>> such a system and not lose their mind???
> it's one of the reasons people drink to much,
Thats a hard claim to substantiate, particularly
when compared with France and england.
> do to many hard drugs, etc.
Ditto. Most users of hard drugs in the
US appear to be those that dont work.
>>> I wouldn't want to live like that no matter how much they paid me.
> now -I- get 24 (work)days vacation, plus a week at christmas (this year it's
> the week between christmas and new years), plus holidays, plus sick leave....
> and I've got good medical coverage, almost any doctor, 750$ deductible for my
> family's medical coverage (300$/individual), prescriptions, etc.
> now I could make more in my trade other places... but I wouldn't get the
> benefits.
Oct 27th 2004, 8:09 pm
#105
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: ONLY TWO WEEKS VACATION PER YEAR IN THE US???
"Mxsmanic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> me writes:
> > one
> > would think with a new baby, that would be the time you'd want to have a
few
> > days of personal time stashed.
> Having a baby is a personal choice and voluntary; it's not an illness.
> --
> Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
True -- but if they're not getting paid for the family leave anyway, and
they're coming back to work, why make them use up all their vacation, that
they've already earned, during their leave instead of being able to save it
until after? The end result of the time off is the same.
news:[email protected]...
> me writes:
> > one
> > would think with a new baby, that would be the time you'd want to have a
few
> > days of personal time stashed.
> Having a baby is a personal choice and voluntary; it's not an illness.
> --
> Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
True -- but if they're not getting paid for the family leave anyway, and
they're coming back to work, why make them use up all their vacation, that
they've already earned, during their leave instead of being able to save it
until after? The end result of the time off is the same.
