Just Plain Wrong

MORE AMERICANS PASSING UP VACATIONS TO GET AHEAD.

The official end of summer is approaching, signaling the end of peak vacation season and the return of the working masses to the daily grind. But many of us aren't trudging back to work well rested from a couple of weeks of lying on the beach.

Increasingly, Americans loaded with work are foregoing their vacation time and clocking more hours on the job, widening the disparity between the U.S. and other countries where vacations are mandatory and often stretch to a month of idle bliss.

The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not require employers to give workers paid time off--vacation leave, sick leave or maternity leave.

It's up to employers to design vacation policies, and about 25% of U.S. workers get no paid leave at all, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Chicago Tribune.com/Business, 9/13)