This morning, US Representative Seth Magaziner will hold a news conference in Washington, D.C., to introduce a bill to guarantee all full-time hourly workers at least two weeks of paid vacation per year.
”I’ve introduced a few bills since I got here, but this is the first signature piece of legislation I’ve introduced,” said Magaziner, a Rhode Island Democrat first elected in November, 2022. “If we can pass this, it would help 27 million workers that currently don’t have access to any vacation time at work.”
The European Union guarantees workers at least 20 paid vacation days per year, and some countries require as many as 30 annual days off, he said. But the United States doesn’t guarantee any paid vacation for workers, and one out of every five private sector workers in the United States — nearly 27 million people — do not get paid vacations, he said.
”The bottom line is American workers are the most productive in the world, and all workers deserve to take some time off,” Magaziner said. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a vacation if you work hard.”
Many employers voluntarily offer vacation time to workers, he said. “But that should be a baseline benefit that all workers can earn — not one that is at the whim or good graces of their employers,” he said, adding that the current system leaves many low-income workers and those in the service and hospitality sectors without vacation time.
The Protected Time Off Act would guarantee no less than two weeks of paid vacation per year, to be used for any reason at the standard rate of pay. That would be in addition to any paid sick leave or family and medical leave, and employees would be protected against discrimination for exercising their right to take that time off.
Magaziner, who represents the state’s Second Congressional District, will be the main House sponsor while Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, will be the main Senate sponsor. Sanders proposed a similar bill in 2015, but it didn’t become law and he hasn’t re-introduced it since.
Now, Magaziner said, the legislation has the backing of groups such as the AFL-CIO and the NAACP, and it has nearly 40 co-sponsors. “We have attracted a great deal of support,” he said.
But a legislative priority of a Rhode Island Democrat is unlikely to become a priority of House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and his Republican leadership team.
”I don’t think either party can claim to represent working people if they take a stance that working people should work themselves to the bone and never have a day off,” Magaziner said. “That would be politically foolhardy. As we start a national campaign, members of both parties will feel pressure to support it.”
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @FitzProv.