>Bill,
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>Just like mandatory minimum wage laws affect the bottom line of a business, excessive vacation weeks are a labor cost as well.
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>There's no question that Fortune 500 companies can probably absorb this better than your local pizza joint. But what our current president increasingly doesn't understand is the impact to small and medium size businesses.
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>Correct on farmers and teachers - and remember that most wind up getting a 2nd and sometimes even a 3rd job.
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>I used to work for a manufacturer that had a week shutdown in December and July, in addition to regular vacations. Obviously there are exceptions. What I'm talking about is mandating a rule. The federal government has absolutely no business setting rules for this.
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>I certainly won't say "all", but I think the vast majority of full time positions in this country offer 1-2 weeks of vacation at the start, plus 5 sick days, plus the national holidays. I'll agree that's on the low end, but the idea of giving a new employee four weeks of vacation and making that a national rule is excessive.


>>What I'm talking about is mandating a rule.

Agreed. The government shouldn't do it, but something has to change or the government will eventually step in as it has in Europe.

Strong labor unions once secured good benefits for their members thru the collective bargaining process.
For a lot of reasons, union power has declined steadily and no institution has filled that gap.
The result has been a steady decline in the economic status of working people and a steady increase in the wealth of business investors.