Congress may be on recess.
But the waitress covering a double
shift, the nurse working overnight, the
warehouse worker racing a delivery clock,
and the rideshare driver chasing fares
didn’t get the memo.
America is still working.
House
Minority
Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently
urged Speaker Mike Johnson to
reconvene the House, arguing that
lawmakers should be back in
Washington doing the work they were
elected to do. Whether Speaker
Johnson agrees or not, the moment
raises a broader question: who gets
to take a break in America?
Members
of
Congress earn $174,000
a year - nearly three times the pay
of the typical American worker
- with health insurance, generous
benefits, and some of the most
secure jobs in the country. Their
paychecks continue whether Congress
is in session or not. Most Americans
live in a very different world.
The
United
States is the only wealthy nation
with no
federal guarantee of paid vacation.
Workers in many European countries
are guaranteed four or five weeks of
paid leave each year. In America,
vacation is something you negotiate
with your employer - if you’re lucky
enough to have an employer who
offers it.
The
irony
is that Americans are working more
even as our economy becomes more
productive. Economist Juliet Schor
found that by the late twentieth
century the average American was
working about 163 more
hours per year than in 1969
- roughly the equivalent of an extra
month of work each year. Technology
was supposed to give us more
leisure. Instead, many Americans are
working longer hours while Congress
takes recess.
Even
when
workers receive paid leave, it is
modest. After a year on the job,
many workers get about ten vacation
days. After twenty years, they might
reach twenty days. But many workers
never get that far. The median
American worker stays with an
employer for roughly four years -
often not long enough to accumulate
meaningful benefits. Millions of
workers - especially those in
retail, hospitality, health care,
and gig work - receive no paid
vacation at all.
When Congress gavels out of
session, lawmakers return to districts where
their salaries, benefits, and job security
remain intact. Many of their constituents
are juggling unpredictable schedules,
holding multiple jobs, and worrying about
groceries, rent, and childcare.
Congressional recess is supposed to
serve a purpose. Lawmakers return to their
districts to hear from constituents and
understand the challenges people face.
Earlier generations of lawmakers often
remained in Washington for long stretches
while legislation moved through Congress.
Today’s calendar reflects a different
political reality - one in which travel,
fundraising, and media appearances compete
with the actual work of governing. But
recess also highlights a deeper inequality:
the people making decisions about work and
economic policy often enjoy levels of job
security and rest that many Americans will
never experience.
The nature of work in the United
States has changed dramatically over the
past several decades. Stable careers have
given way to gig work, contract labor, and
irregular schedules. Benefits that once came
with employment - pensions, health
insurance, paid leave - have become less
certain.
These questions matter even more as
the nature of work continues to change. Gig
work, contract labor, and unstable schedules
are reshaping the American labor market. Yet
basic protections that workers in many other
wealthy countries take for granted - paid
vacation, predictable hours, and time to
rest - remain elusive for millions of
Americans.
Yet our political system still
operates as if the old world of stable jobs
and predictable careers still exists.
Jeffries’
call
to reconvene Congress is ultimately
about more than a legislative
calendar. It raises a simple
question: why
should the people making decisions
about American work be the ones most
insulated from its pressures?
Congress
may
call it a recess. But the country
doesn’t stop working just because
Congress takes a break. America
isn’t on vacation.
Maybe
Congress shouldn’t be either.
