Would the Australian Economy be Better Off If ...

[AiA in Atlanta]

Would the Australian economy be better off if:

1. It had no mandatory paid annual leave like the USA?
2. It had no mandatory paid maternity leave like the USA?

[Rorschach]

Personally I don't see why we should lower our standards or ape the USA.

Perhaps they should copy us... cut some of that warmongering defence budget and spend it on the people instead.

[Neferti]

The USA is so behind Australia in some areas. However, with a population of around 350,000,000 it would be a difficult to change certain things. When Australia went all Metric (including the changed monetary, measurements, etc) way back, Australia had a relatively small population. With
TV education, even the oldies got with it ....

The USA still do NOT use metric in most cases. I have some American email pals who still talk weather in Fahrenheit, "gas" in gallons, and they travel miles, not kilometers. Lazy, perhaps, or they expect me to translate for them. Yanks are like that, I have found. LOL

Lots of stuff seems to be much cheaper over there but then some people still only early $5 an hour! Even checkout chicks earn $18 an hour here and on top of that they get their 10 sick days per annum and 20 days holidays, fully paid, unless they are "casual" then they get $24 an hour and no holiday or sick leave.

I don't know about the UK but I have an email pal in Japan and he is amazed that we get 20 days paid holiday per annum and 10 days sick leave (accumulative) in Australia.

AiA ....

Does this have much to do with Unions? Does the USA have Unions like we do here? I've never joined a Union in my life and never would. The Government sets the pay standards through legislation and we do not get too many STRIKES like we used to. No idea why that is so.

[Neferti]

Personally I don't see why we should lower our standards or ape the USA.

Perhaps they should copy us... cut some of that warmongering defence budget and spend it on the people instead.

There's a thought.

[Black Orchid]

Would the Australian economy be better off if:

1. It had no mandatory paid annual leave like the USA?
2. It had no mandatory paid maternity leave like the USA?

1. No.
2. Yes.

[AiA in Atlanta]

The USA still do NOT use metric in most cases.

Americans can thank Ronald Reagan for that.

[AiA in Atlanta]

Does this have much to do with Unions? Does the USA have Unions like we do here? I've never joined a Union in my life and never would. The Government sets the pay standards through legislation and we do not get too many STRIKES like we used to. No idea why that is so.

Labor unions historically were never as strong in the USA as they were in other parts of the world and in the last few decades they have been blamed for most everything and now are practically non-existent.

[Aussie]

Does this have much to do with Unions? Does the USA have Unions like we do here? I've never joined a Union in my life and never would. The Government sets the pay standards through legislation and we do not get too many STRIKES like we used to. No idea why that is so.

Labor unions historically were never as strong in the USA as they were in other parts of the world and in the last few decades they have been blamed for most everything and now are practically non-existent.

You were going quite well until that bridge too far.

Link.

[AiA in Atlanta]

Your point Aussie?

In 2013 there were 14.5 million members in the U.S., compared with 17.7 million in 1983. In 2013, the percentage of workers belonging to a union in the United States (or total labor union "density") was 11.3%, compared to 20.1% in 1983.[1] From a global perspective, the density in 2010 was 11.4% in the U.S., 18.4% in Germany, 27.5% in Canada, and 70% in Finland.[2] Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%[3] — levels not seen since 1932.

[Aussie]

Your point Aussie?

In 2013 there were 14.5 million members in the U.S., compared with 17.7 million in 1983. In 2013, the percentage of workers belonging to a union in the United States (or total labor union "density") was 11.3%, compared to 20.1% in 1983.[1] From a global perspective, the density in 2010 was 11.4% in the U.S., 18.4% in Germany, 27.5% in Canada, and 70% in Finland.[2] Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%[3] — levels not seen since 1932.

I read that before I posted the link, idiot. Your point was that unions 'now are practically non-existent.' My point is that you are wrong as usual, unless you are posting about your favourite subjects like necrophelia.