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Comment by jensgk | Hacker News Reader

"If something is positive for both sides then I think the market will eventually adopt it on its own." In Denmark we (by law) all have 5 weeks of holiday per year (besides public holidays), paid sick leave, 37 hour work week, paid maternity care (m/f), reasonable notice of termination, reasonable rules for work environment, etc. All because of our unions. How is it in the US?

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Those very generous working conditions, and the mind set that it comes from and creates, I am convinced, is also why Denmark does not have an Apple, Tesla, Google, Nvidia, or SpaceX, and why the AI revolution is heavily based on the US. I’m not dinging you for it. I am US based ex EU (NL) myself, and have lived under both systems enough time to have experienced the difference. Countries and individuals can make choices between quality of life and achievement. And while there are some short range positive correlations (more quality of life leads to better thinking and more productivity), I think the long range correlation is negative (p100 achievement will require long hours and sacrifices).

Note that I am not saying one side is inherently better than the other. I’m saying it’s a choice with consequences. It is essentially a question about what you value in life.

Well, for the size of our country, I think we are doing well, we have Novo Nordisk, Maersk, Carlsberg, Lego and maybe others. We are above the US when it comes to Nobel prizes per capita, higher than the US when it comes to happyness.

Again I am not saying one system is better than the other. The companies you bring up are excellent global companies that are well run. But they have not caused the radical change like the ones that I mentioned.

Also what is the benefit of having those things, if your citizens generelly do not gain anything from it, eg with regard to life expentacy, happyness and wealth?

> I am convinced, is also why Denmark does not have an Apple, Tesla, Google, Nvidia, or SpaceX,

It might also be that Denmark is half the size of South Carolina (approximately). While the US is the whole size of the US.

What is that in football fields?

You're saying we could have been free of FAANG hell if we just had unions all along?! Imagine that! Life could be such a dream.

>How is it in the US?

We sadly gave up proper benefits/balance of life for higher income. Which of course hoodwinked us when economy tightened up. Some states have it slight better, but I haven't had a proper vacation since college. Unless you count being laid off with no notice.

Then you have loopholes as usual. Layoffs in some states SHOULD be noticed in advance, but only if it's something like > X people laid off. So why not instead make rounds of layoffs over the months? Great for morale!

I have 5 weeks vacation, paid holidays, 40 hour work week, unpaid parental leave. I also make 3-4x what you make.

Good for you, one of the chosen few in your country. But then again you have to endure living in the US :-) I have 6 weeks paid vacation (besides the public holidays), 5 extra family care days, unlimited (paid) child sick leave, paid own sick leave, work from home (2-3 days a week), great free public health care, free uni education for my children (and they get paid to go). I can't be fired without 6 months notice. And a 37 hour work week, and a clean conscience knowing that all workers have comparable work life. I have nothing to complain about.

5 weeks vacation after acrusing them for 4 years and you can't accrue more than 28 days past that.

That's probably not what you meant, but that's been my experience at every role so far. 5 weeks would be a dream for me.

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