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Montville doctor to play key role as Florida Congressman introduces bill
Americans were already working more and vacationing less before the recession. Now time-pressed and cash-strapped folks are sacrificing even more vacation time and enjoyment—and maybe their health. Dr. Arnold I. Pallay, medical director of Changebridge Medical Associates in Montville, N.J., takes family vacations and advises his patients to do the same. He has been asked to provide vacation related health information at a news conference when Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) will introduce the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 at the Cannon House Office Building Terrace in Washington DC tomorrow ( May 21), The proposed bill would make paid vacations mandatory.
Dr. Pallay will discuss documented medical benefits associated with taking vacations and the pitfalls of not taking enough respite time. For example, Pallay emphasizes that health studies have shown that regular vacations can reduce the rates of heart disease and depression by nearly half.
What the bill does:
*Requires one week of paid vacation for employees of companies with at least 100 employees. Three years after passage, the bill extends this requirement to companies with at least 50 employees, and requires two weeks for companies with 100 employees.
*Covers workers after one year on the job. Part-timers must work 25 or more hours a week and 1250 hours per year to be covered.
Related studies reveal:
* Although still traveling, American’s changing vacation habits according to a 2009 poll conducted by Harris Interactive , included taking shorter trips, spending less and cutting back on accommodations, meals, activities.
* Research by economist John Schmitt of the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that the United States is alone among industrial countries in not mandating paid vacation time. More than 147 countries now have paid vacation laws. All European nations require at least four weeks of paid vacation.
* Vacations provide mental health benefits for women according to study, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Results published 2005.
* A 9-year study explained the benefits and risks of (not) taking vacations in men with high risk of heart disease.
* A poll conducted last year by TAKE BACK YOUR TIME found that half of all Americans took less than one week of vacation last year. A quarter of all workers receive no paid vacation time at all and the average is less than two weeks. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. companies that offer paid vacation time has actually dropped in the past year. The poll found that 69% of American voters would support a paid vacation law, including 75% of women, 83% of voters under 30, and 89% of African-Americans.
— ANDY LAGOMARSINO, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
