this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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Two weeks or 10 days isn't enough. Push for at least 20 days like most of the world has. Also force companies to provide sick days instead of using a shared pool. You shouldn't have to sacrifice a vacation because you got sick of had to go to the doctor.
(Im not American) While I agree 2 weeks is not nearly enough, isn't this also a bit "perfect is the enemy of good"? Anything is better than nothing, and 2 weeks is at least a start. Pushing to 4 weeks can be done after the 2 weeks has been achieved.
Agree. In this political climate, getting any positive change is tough. This is a good first step that would have affected me at the first two of three FT positions I've worked. It's not good enough long term imo, but it's positive and I'll celebrate the hell out of that.
10 is better than what we have, but don't start with what you are willing to negotiate down to. Start strong and be willing to compromise if that is what is needed. I don't think mandatory minimum days off is a controversial issue except for the ruling class.
Who are you giving advice to? I don't think Bernie can hear you, and even if he could, I'm 99% sure he would passionately explain precisely why you're wrong and the methodology behind his decision.
I'm stating my opinion. I would love to hear why he chose the days that he did. I'm not saying he is an idiot or wrong, I'm sure he knows what he can get as he has been in the Senate long enough to know these things.
Fair enough, no further comments.
I’d argue we should start taking pages out of the right’s playbook. Start with hilariously unachievable numbers to drag the Overton window towards the left, so that your actual desired number seems more reasonable in comparison.
Basically, if you only want 14 days, start by listing 28. Then when the final bill that congress is voting on only has 14 days, you’re able to say you reached across the aisle and compromised.
Conservatives do it all the time. They’ll use conservative talking heads and influencers to float extreme ideas, and begin normalizing them. So that the conservative lawmakers can then start introducing more tame versions of the now-normalized insane ideas. Basically, drag the Overton window towards the right, and now your extreme policies don’t appear as extreme.
That's exactly it. Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection
But but America number 1, no? So the new law should push them to the first place. They could call it the America Number One act.
No, this is conceding ground that could be used for negotiation before they even start. He's asking for 2 weeks, negotiations happen -> maybe 1 week is achieved.
Ok, but... That is still more than the US has now. You need to start somewhere.
Yes, so you ask for 4 weeks to actually get 2. Starting a negociation with a concession is simply poor strategy
TBH this doesn't seem like a bill that was drafted with the intent of passing. More likely this is to give Democratic challengers of Republican incumbents something easy to confront them about when they inevitably vote against this. The bill reads as reasonable to the average worker, who may be less likely to support a candidate that voted against giving them a measly 10 days off.
If I get sick on vacation I get to recover my vacation days. Of course I need to prove it, so it's not always worth it or practical, but it should definitely not be the same pool.
Yeah, my employer requires FMLA paperwork for any medical absences longer than 2 days.
Anyone who has ever had to do FLMA paperwork knows exactly how obscene that is. My doctor’s office charges for FMLA paperwork specifically because it’s such a chore. Which means that if I need to be out sick for longer than a few days, I have to pay my doctor’s office to fill the paperwork out.
It should be the other way around: if you are really sick multiple days during your vacation, you should get more vacation days because you didn't have your vacation while sick. Since becoming sick right when your vacation starts is a strong indication of being seriously overworked for a long time.
That's how it works here, in EU
What about not having ‘sick days’ but unconditional paid medical leave if deemed necessary by your MD?
That’s what we have, and although it can be abused (as everything) it seems the most humane and natural thing to have. You cannot know how many days you will be sick. Generally people doesn’t get sick at all!
I'm not opposed to that. Would need to have a limited number of unverified sick days as Americans would abuse it, at least for a time. If you go to a doctor and they say it is necessary for you to be off work for 3 months, then an employer would have to respect that. There would also need to be punishment for retaliating against employees that have long sick periods.
One compromise is businesses could be compensated by the government for sick time employees use beyond what is given by company policy. If someone has to take two weeks and they were only slotted one, the government will give a fixed amount per day that does not exceed that employee's daily wages.
The way it works in Denmark is your boss can demand a doctor's note from your doctor. They can do this no matter the circumstances, but they're required to pay for it. I've never been asked to get a doctor's note, but I have also never been untrustworthy enough for a boss to not believe when I say I'm sick.
In Spain there is an established procedure. The doctor signing you for sick leave must work for the public healthcare system, and the cost of the procedure is zero. The communication to the employer is via electronic means, and the information provided to the company DOES NOT contain the diagnose nor the treatment, just the estimated recovery time.
Or simply consider the fact people gets sick part of the cost of doing business, and plan accordingly.
Agreed, that's insane. I get like 3 weeks just around the holidays alone. Thanksgiving week, and about two weeks from Christmas eve through new years days.
Then unlimited vacation on top of that, from which I've already taken 4 weeks this year.
My job has separate PTO and sick hours. Only downside is the sick hours cap at 80, with 40 given each year. So I basically just take random "sick" days.
Ah, the “I feel too good to work today” sickness
Mental health days are valid uses of sick time!