Interestingly, Sunday trading laws in Northern Ireland are very much Protestant. The Catholic population is perfectly happy to do anything on a Sunday, but a particular (and vocal) subset of the Protestant population is in the “never on a Sunday” brigade. So it’s interesting to me that in other parts of the world it’s seen as a Catholic thing.

There was a referendum in Switzerland a few years ago to do away with the Sunday closure laws. Switzerland isn’t very religious–most people don’t attend church, even though religion is still taught in the schools. But, the referendum lost. People really, really, really like having a day off, where all families can be together.

#3 One time at a local supermarket I became quite annoyed with the inane messages at the self-checkout kiosk. I started fulminating. An assistant manager politely told me not to swear. I explained that I was not swearing, nor was I cursing, but was using a few vulgarities. He seemed to not comprehend the difference among these three.

“[Employees] don’t use it so they must not want it.”

This wasn’t meant to read like I was quoting James, it was meant to read as if I were paraphrasing the general idea.

Sorry James.

“There are of course confounding factors… but the end result is that we have a culture that’s already not using its vacation time. This strongly suggests that, for whatever reason, workers don’t want it.”

Yup, and that is exactly the justification that US employers use. “[Employees] don’t use it so they must not want it.”

I am sorry but the ‘confounding factors’ you mention are by no means trivial, and no way endorsed by myself or anyone I know on the employee end.

Frankly I am sick and tired of being asked to forfeit pieces of what little vacation I DO have, because, well…

“George did! He is a Team player! He knew we had a deadline to meet (that we didn’t dedicate enough resources to in the first place) and was willing to sacrifice his vacation that was planned months in advance. For nothing more than a simple: ‘Job well done George!’ Now that is what we call dedication and taking pride in your work!”

Well good for George. The fact that I insist on my receiving my full compensation package as promised, should not interfere or impede my progress in a company. And yet in the US that has absolutely happened to me.

I forfeited over $3,000 in vacation time once because I was not allowed to take vacation, and was not compensated for the unused time at the end of my tenure. And of course I was in a state that did not have any employment laws regarding paid vacation, so I lost it. Had I known my employer would do this, I never would have accepted the job in the first place, because getting paid $3,000 less than the salary I was promised and not getting to take time off was not what I’d agreed to.

So regardless of what anyone may say about stuff from Europe not translating in America, I am still on the side of workers being able to expect paid time off from an employer as the standard, not the exception.

With all dues respect, calling this particular thing apples and oranges seems like something a business would cite just as they were giving their employees the short shrift.

Re: “Sunday quiet” (Sonntagsruhe) certainly has a religious origination, and Europe is (nominally) more religious than the USA. Regardless, IMO Sunday work restrictions have as much place in an decently-ordered society as worker safety, immigration, or prostitution laws. General restrictions on white-collar salary-serfdom (working more than 40 hours/week) should be implemented as well.
https://www.thelocal.de/20170321/five-things-to-know-about-prostitution-in-germany

James, In my experience on multiple trips from the U.S. to Europe, I have noticed a massive cultural difference with respect to speeding on highways. We in the U.S. exceed the speed limit on highways regularly because the posted speed is so low. Thus we have things like your comment about slowing down for the police. I’ve noticed that the speed on European highways and autobahns is so high or nonexistent that my European friends that I’ve talked to about this, really don’t have a concept of driving over the speed limit – why would you even consider driving faster than 130kph/80mph on certain roads, or how do you exceed the posted speed when the limit doesn’t exist? I’ve been on mountain switchbacks in the Pyrenees that had speed limits of 90kph/55mph and we crawled along at 30kph/20mph so we wouldn’t fall off the side of the mountain. The speed between 1/2 kilometer roundabouts (1/4 mile apart rotaries) goes up to 90kph but getting all the way up to that speed then immediately slowing down for the next roundabout is near impossible without getting whiplash. I’ve also seen the in-town speeds and those slow down for a good reason and people obey it. As for the semis in the right lane, I agree it’s nice to not have to figure out how to get around them as they slow down going up hills.

I’ve seen different types of self-checkout systems here in the US. The one I love and use regularly is at my “home” supermarket, where I can pick up a scanner, scan items as I shop and place them right in my reusable bags. Then at the register I scan the “checkout” bar code, pay, and it’s off you go. Is this similar at all with the system you like in Switzerland?