I was reading this great Vox article on quality-of-life in Switzerland -- and Western Europe, more generally -- and really became a bit agitated thinking about our current Democratic Party primary -- specifically, why won't Hillary Clinton demand that employers provide workers with paid vacation?

As this article shows, it's a pretty good thing:



At my former American job, I received 10 days of paid vacation per year, and each of those days came with a sizable portion of guilt if actually used. But in Switzerland, my husband's company gave employees six weeks of vacation a year. Most of the Swiss companies I worked for gave four — the legal minimum is four. Moreover, everything shut down between Christmas and New Year's, giving most employees like me another guaranteed week off. People in Europe took vacation seriously. Once, when I only took 10 days for a trip to Spain, my colleagues chastised me for taking so little time off. I learned to take vacation chunks in two-week intervals. Well rested, I noticed that I felt more productive and creative when I returned to work. Recent American research confirms what I was feeling: Relaxing can make you more productive. So why don't Americans embrace vacation time?

Vacations improve worker productivity (i.e. more profits for job creators!), they improve worker satisfaction, and they enhance mental health. But, sadly, many Americans get zero vacation days. And, those who do, face a stigma when they attempt to use them.

Everything points to the fact that American employers should be compelled -- by the force of law -- to provide workers with at least a couple of weeks of paid vacation a year. Bernie Sanders understand this very well.

American workers are being denied a benefit that workers in every other advanced economy already enjoy: 10 days of paid vacation time. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 18, 2015

Now, yes, Hillary Clinton has said Americans deserve "mandatory paid leave" -- but, by that, she is referring to leave for sickness or maternity/paternity leave. Never, in this campaign, has Hillary explicitly -- like Bernie -- called for mandatory paid vacation leave.

I was attacked for expressing my displeasure with the way Hillary referred to workers as "assets," but my earnest opinion is that if you are unwilling to demand all workers receive at least a few weeks of leisure a year -- to spend time with loved ones in a low-stress environment -- then you don't truly care about workers as human beings.

Bernie has called for two weeks of paid vacation for all American workers, which is the absolute minimum -- the same as Canada -- in all other rich countries. Most Europeans receive over a month of paid vacation (in addition to a host of national holidays often referred to as "bank holidays"). Even Brazilians get more leave than Americans:



By comparison, Brazilians get 30 paid vacation days plus 11 national holidays, for a staggering total of 41 days off each year, according to research by Mercer in 2009.

As Bernie likes to say, "we are not beasts of burden" -- and we deserve a little bit of leisure time in this short journey of life to spend with our loved ones.

It is truly disgusting that a so-called Democrat -- Hillary Clinton -- is afraid to endorse mandatory paid vacation for all workers.

It is not "radical" or "extreme" for workers to have a few weeks of leisure protected by the force of law -- indeed, it is normal in most other high-income and middle-income countries.

Choose wisely, my friends. Choose wisely.