I was in Park Slope the other day. I went to get my haircut at Il Camelion, and I checked on my friend Mike’s apartment. (Your apartment is fine, Mike.) On the way into the office, I stopped at Blue Apron Foods, a really nice cheese and meat shop in Park Slope.
I bought a nice goat cheese round and some crackers for lunch. (Note to self: eating only goat cheese and crackers for lunch leads to poor digestion.) I mentioned to the woman at the cheese counter that they were not open when I last visited in early August. She said that they were closed because everyone went on vacation and mentioned that this was the first job she had that gave her a paid vacation.
As a professional computer support and development person, I take paid vacations for granted. I really shouldn’t. Many people in the country, let alone the rest of the world, do not get fair wages and benefits for their work. I’m thankful that I work for a company that not only recognizes the work I do but also rewards me for the work.
The United Nations recognized paid vacation as a right in article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, yet many people are not allowed the benefits of this right. [Full text of article: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.] I’m sure that there are many people who would consider such a right specious. (I think those people are wrong.)
Regardless of how you may feel about the status of leisure as a human right, I encourage you to support companies that treat their workers properly. If you live in New York City, you should definitely try to shop at stores like Blue Apron Foods. In the case of Blue Apron Foods, the owners treat both their employees and products with respect and love.