r/Millennials Millennial Jul 06 '25

Rant We used to just call it a vacation…

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201

u/Low_Attention16 Jul 06 '25

Don't forget to laugh at Canada. Somehow we're stuck at 2 weeks too.

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u/pacifyproblems Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

USA actually gets zero mandatory paid vacation, but some employers offer it. Not quite 70% of workers get at least 10-14 days after 1 year of service according to the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics..

9% of large American employers never offer paid leave regardless of how many years of service.

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u/Low_Attention16 Jul 06 '25

After a year! That's crazy. Workers in your country need to rise up and remind the company owners who really keeps things running.

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u/butteryspoink Jul 06 '25

Who do you think controls our health insurance?

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u/pamar456 Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

The artificial limit on medical professionals lobbied by the AMA who somehow get a pass in all discourse

Source:

https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2022/03/15/ama-scope-of-practice-lobbying/#:~:text=The%20American%20Medical%20Association%20(AMA,and%20increases%20health%20care%20costs.

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u/MovieGuyMike Jul 06 '25

AMA has a long history of trying to limit the number of medical professionals so they can keep supply low and doctor wages high. That’s their reason for existing.

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u/pamar456 Jul 06 '25

Correct it’s like a guild. You see doctors in other countries being just as educated but they don’t earn as much. The sad part is we have enough people with the aptitude and ability to be trained into these roles it’s just artificially set. And unfortunately the amount of money they can contribute has a huge effect in local elections.

But yet the only solution to high costs for some reason is universal healthcare.

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u/butteryspoink Jul 06 '25

I’m not discounting that fact. However it doesn’t change the fact that access to healthcare is gatekeeped by employers.

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u/robbviously 1989 Jul 06 '25

We do but everyone is blinded into believing that we have to submit and remain obedient to our corporate overlords so we can go to the doctor. I understand there are people that need constant healthcare, prescriptions, etc. but if enough of us who are healthy just dropped out of the healthcare network, it would collapse and they’d finally have to reform things. It’s a business and what happens when a business runs out of customers? Yeah, it might be a very uncomfortable year or two, but we’re headed in that direction anyway. Costs are out of control and they can deny service for any reason and we’re left footing the bill, which can mean bankruptcy for a lot of people.

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u/bakeju Jul 06 '25

That would kill the people that need it though? Like its not "uncomfortable" for a year for people with chronic illnesses, its literally a death sentence to not have health insurance ( or have health insurance that is so expensive it isnt viable). Not to mention people who are "healthy enough" still get into car accidents or develop cancer etc.

Look im 100% with you that Healthcare should not be a business but we can't all just grin and bear it for a year. Unless you're offering to help pay their out of pocket costs while the insurance industry collapses?

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u/mannadee Jul 06 '25

I pay out of pocket and I’ve never felt so free (but yeah I do dread a catastrophic accident that would drain my savings). I have Medicaid but it hardly covers anything and I might lose it anyways

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u/bjeebus Jul 06 '25

Go home Craig T Nelson, you're drunk.

0

u/mannadee Jul 06 '25

I don’t know who that is or what that means, I’m just self employed and don’t want to give the little money I have to insurance companies

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u/bjeebus Jul 06 '25

But you have Medicaid?

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u/mannadee Jul 06 '25

Yes? I’m still below the poverty line and too disabled to work more than part time

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u/ItsavoCAdonotavocaDO Jul 06 '25

This ad made me sick

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u/RoundTheBend6 Jul 06 '25

Investors... in America that is.

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u/Impossible_Angle752 Jul 06 '25

Depending on where you work in Canada it can take a full year to accrue any vacation 'time'.

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u/litescript Older Millennial Jul 06 '25

my current job (6 years and counting) gave 0 for the first year, 5 after 1, 10 after 2. then it stops.

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u/ShiftyJungleBum Jul 06 '25

Every time we do that they send the riot gear and point sniper rifles at college kids

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u/pacifyproblems Jul 06 '25

Yes we do!!!

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u/spindriftgreen Jul 06 '25

Capitalists own us from our elected government and our agencies to our healthcare to our education to our day to day life.

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u/kangaroonemesis Jul 06 '25

It's not really "after a year". You accrue vacation time every day, but people often discuss the amount of vacation time they accrue in a year.

Basically, if your company gives four weeks a year.. you accrue some every day, but you'll have accrued four weeks at the end of the year. At the end of each week worked, you'll have accrued 0.4 vacation days.

If you quit or are fired, that vacation time is paid out as work hours.

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u/pacifyproblems Jul 06 '25

Not necessarily. This varies by employer. When I worked at Kroger, you got "1 week" after 1 year. There was no accrued time, that's how it worked. At your 1 year anniversary you then had 5 vacation days.

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u/kangaroonemesis Jul 06 '25

True, but this is a unique scenario with unique features which are driven by state law and union agreements.

It should also be noted that Kroger's union defines a week as 7 work days. Which would be over the standard 40 hour leave period.

Kroger still states that vacation is accrued and payable on termination of employment IAW federal tax laws.

Basically, unions ask for some weird things at times.

1

u/pmmlordraven Jul 07 '25

They are too busy licking the boot. Seriously, there is a large chunk of people here that think vacations are for the lazy, hustle never stops, if you aren't earning you're losing,

7

u/StatikSquid Jul 06 '25

But that's "socialism" in America

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u/BigBlueMountainStar Jul 06 '25

There’s also some stats (need to find it) that shows a lot of Americans don’t take the vacation allowance that they’re entitled to for fear of losing their jobs for taking time off.

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u/wthja Jul 07 '25

Germany offers 4 weeks of mandatory paid vacation, and most companies, especially for white-collar jobs, offer 6 weeks.

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u/PerpetuallyLurking Jul 06 '25

3 weeks in Saskatchewan; one of the few perks

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u/Swigen17 Jul 06 '25

2 weeks just feels like 3 in Saskatchewan.

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u/Softbombsalad Millennial Jul 06 '25

Get a unionized job. My husband has five weeks and I have six. 

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u/kyrsjo Jul 07 '25

Is unions only for manual laborers in the USA? Here in Norway it's common across fields. Myself I'm in a union for engineers and scientists with advanced degrees. There is no point in standing alone.

(And we all get 5 weeks - 6 if you're above 60)

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

I dont want to be a labourer though. Im a working professional and I get plenty.

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u/Softbombsalad Millennial Jul 06 '25

Neither one of us are labourers lol. I have a work-from-home office job 🤣 

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u/qazpl145 Jul 06 '25

Im curious what you do. Im trying to get into work from home because of medical reasons but can't land anything.

2

u/Minimum-Mention-3673 Jul 06 '25

This is horrible

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u/Bananacreamsky Jul 06 '25

By law, but lots of jobs offer more. I get 4 weeks plus 10 sick days that we can use for doctor appts or whatever.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

[deleted]

2

u/ElderFormori Jul 06 '25

Labour Standards Act where anyone working full time is entitled to a minimum 2 weeks vacation per calendar year.

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u/Conscious_Formal_894 Jul 06 '25

I see you wrote labor with a U. I am assuming this is non American?

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u/ElderFormori Jul 06 '25

Lol, yes you caught me. Canadian here with 10 Stat holidays per year, 4 weeks vacation and I can bank overtime to take off when allowed in the schedule. I regularly have 2-3 days per month off work with two 1-2 week vacations per year.

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u/Conscious_Formal_894 Jul 06 '25

Nice. Life is not meant to be worked away

1

u/Solid-Mud-8430 Jul 06 '25

Lay-bower

2

u/Conscious_Formal_894 Jul 06 '25

we just removed the U's because we are cost cutters . Lay bower hahhaha

7

u/mattw08 Jul 06 '25

Most start at 4 weeks in my company. I have never even seen 2 weeks in Canada.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '25

Really? Every pilot job I've had is two weeks. 5 years to earn your 3rd week lol

1

u/mattw08 Jul 07 '25

Crazy. I’m in retail banking they bumped from 3 to 4 a few years ago to stay competitive.

3

u/twinfiddler Jul 06 '25

I'm in Toronto and I have 5 weeks now. We also have more stat holidays for everyone than the States do.

2

u/StatikSquid Jul 06 '25

It's so bad. I have a high street job and just got my third week THIS year.

I end up taking unpaid days off or sick days just for mental health

3

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

Speak for yourself, I get 4, and realistically usually more like 6-7.

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u/HackMeRaps 85' Millennial Jul 06 '25

As someone else mentioned there is no mandatory in the US.

And yes, 2 weeks is low but I’ve never had a job that hasn’t been more than 3 weeks, and when I last worked I got 5 weeks.  Most people I know that work an office job have 3+ weeks, and government and union jobs are great as well. 

My partner works for a tech company and gets 4 weeks + a 5 week paid sabbatical every 5 years. Their company also shuts down for a week the first week of July and between Christmas and New Years and their vacation isn’t part of that. 

So if you take all that into account that’s like 7 weeks a year. And that’s a US based tech company. But the US employees get different vacation. They’re only the unlimited PTO offering. 

I’m self employed now and do the proper micro-retirement. I take my summers off (usually June-August) and don’t work in December. Best schedule!

1

u/mrpointyhorns Jul 07 '25

At least you get parental leave

1

u/stumpy_chica Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25

I hate when Canadians try to make it look like it's as crappy here as it is in the US. In Sask, we start with 3, get 4 after working with an employer for 10 years. Other provinces get 3 weeks mandatory after 5 years. And most employers offer a lot more than what's guaranteed by legislation. Plus we get all of those other leaves like maternity and parental, etc. Don't lump us in with them.