Should The US Governmet Mandate That All Companies Close On National Holidays?

In Europe companies, businesses, and non-essential entities (not hospitals, ect) will be fined if they try and force people to work on national holidays or dock their pays for this. In America most workers are forced to work on these days with no extra pay or choice. Or, if they do get the holiday there is no pay at all for many. It is so insulting to see many veterans having be forced to work on their holiday with no compensation. This includes this Memorial Day where many people have lost their loved ones in this time of war. People need time to enjoy life %26amp; be with friends and family. Children get these holidays and many parents are forced to put them in daycare and pay extra for this. Shouldn't the US Government mandate that all employers must respect these holidays? What is the point of having them if most Americans are not allowed to observe them? Hospitals and such things must be excluded, but really! Can we live one day without going to Wal-Mart?
Should The US Governmet Mandate That All Companies Close On National Holidays?
The loss of soldiers lives means so little today, that it has only become a chain store sales event.





Why let a little thing like the death of a fellow citizen in service to their country ruin a perfectly good opportunity to offer a dollar off on a bag fertilizer? I guess it makes it a holiday if the Made in China American flags are 25% off...
Reply:This is the "I AM OWED" attitude.





In the United States, we have something called freedom, where people can change jobs to one that doesn't make you work on holidays. We have a choice.





What you want is socialistic control. I cannot support socialism (having seen it's flaws and failures).





Thank you, NO! Get a different job.
Reply:The U.S. tries to be closer to a free market that does much of Europe. Employers who require work on holidays and do not pay overtime tend to be unable to recruit better workers, but then again they often don't need better workers and they are recruiting those who are unable to get a better job. That is more reflective of the free labor market.
Reply:That's one of the things I like about being in the union They can give me the holiday off without pay or the company can pay me double time to work. I usually get the day off.
Reply:They cannot mandate something like that, Where would our rights be then?. you cannot force anything on anybody in a democracy...
Reply:I agree totally. We are a country, not a business.
Reply:What compelling public good would this serve. Answer: none. So, no, the state should mind its own business. Why do you want the government haveing even more say in how we live our lives?
Reply:The issue then becomes what holidays do you mandate a business to be open? Labor Day, July 4, Memorial Day, Veterans day are secular holidays - so okay most people can flow with that.





What about Easter, Christmas, etc -- do we close everything on just the Christian Holidays or do we incorporate all the religious holidays?





Personally - I do no frequent businesses open on holidays, especially non-essential business open on Christian holidays or holidays I deem very significant to our country (Memorial Day and July 4) BUT I work in an essential job and therefore I get no choice but to work several holidays a year.





It's just a tough call to say which holidays we would "mandate".