Easter is not a holiday?????

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

Getting paid for religious holidays wouldn't be cost effective because if you pay for catholic holidays, then you have to pay for jewish holidays, and buddist holidays, and islamic holidays, and native american holidays, and pagan holidays, and so on, and so on.......
The companies would go bankrupt just from holiday pay. Therefore, most companies pay for legal holidays only.

True.

It's really also matter of fairness. Other faiths have holy days that are just as important to them as Easter is for Christians.

OC_An Khe · Mar 26, 2008

In my entire working career, both in and out of health care I have never seen Easter be treated as a holiday by any employer. Its been a long career as this year I qualify for social security.

queenjean · Mar 26, 2008

No, and neither is Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day, or Halloween or my birthday.

Woot woot! Believe it or not, at my facility, your birthday is a paid day off. I don't know how that started, but I love it!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

In my entire working career, both in and out of health care I have never seen Easter be treated as a holiday by any employer. Its been a long career as this year I qualify for social security.

It's probably regional. Over 25 years ago the insurance company I worked for dropped Good Friday as a paid holiday. This was the first year the school system in the county I live was open for classes on Good Friday. But the trend for the past 30 years or so has been dropping Christian holidays but for Christmas. Hospitals have joined this trend as well, some have long ago dropped Easter and a few here and there (as evidenced by this thread) still observe it.

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

My state dropped Good Friday as a paid holiday about 10 years ago and gave the equivalent in time off hours to each employee to do as they wish. All state agencies are now open each Good Friday with very low customer numbers. Everyone still thinks we are closed. The schools here are also open Good Friday, as they were in my youth.

There is definitely a move away from any government observance of a religious holiday except for Christmas.

Altra, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

Easter is considered a holiday at both hospitals at which I have worked.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

MODERATOR NOTE. The op was probably just venting and we should allow it. Some of the posts have been a bit harsh and rude. No need to tell her/him to get another job, make fun of their spelling, pick apart the post (which is confusing and probably has a mistake) or tell them not to get their underwear balled up. Perhaps all we need to do is just listen. Working important holidays sucks in nursing and sometimes we just need to say that and sometimes we just need to listen.

Mulan · Mar 26, 2008

In my entire working career, both in and out of health care I have never seen Easter be treated as a holiday by any employer. Its been a long career as this year I qualify for social security.

Congratulations!

Chaya, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

i was so appalled to hear from my co-worker that eastern day is not a holiday pay because lot of patients are jewish? excuse me but i am catholic and many of my co-workers are also catholic. eastern is a big day in catholic religion just like hannuka is a big holiday for jewish religion. are they going to pay us a holiday pay on hannuka???? umm nooooooooooooooooo :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire what a joke!! they dont know how to treat us right!! :down::down::down::down::down:

hah! places don't give holiday pay for easter b/c it' s another way for them to squeeze a few more bucks out of us. imo, reliigious or not, easter is commonly accepted as a big holiday gathering for many, many families and if you are working that day, whether or not you would've been going to church you may be missing a major family get-together and should be compensated.

but i wouldn't put it past tptb to apply the same standards to christmas as easter-only in reverse. they're probably trying to figure out a way to withhold holiday pay on christmas because it too is a primarily a religious holiday; they just haven't dared to do it yet. but i'll bet it's crossed their minds. when i started out working a lot of years back we got i think 11 paid holidays, now it's down to 3 or 5 (depending on the shift you work)!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

HAH! Places don't give holiday pay for Easter b/c it' s another way for them to squeeze a few more bucks out of us. IMO, reliigious or not, Easter is a commonly accepted as big holiday gathering for many, many families and if you are working that day, whether or not you would've been going to church you may be missing a major family get-together and should be compensated.
But I wouldn't put it past TPTB to apply the same standards to Christmas ans Easter-only in reverse. They're probably trying to figure out a way to withhold holiday pay on Christmas because it too is a primarily a religious holiday; they just haven't dared to do it yet. But I'll bet it's crossed their minds. When I started out working a lot of years back we go I think 11 paid holidays, now it's done to 3 or 5 (depending on the shift you work)!

The problem with your way of thinking is that if they give extra pay for working Easter because of the rationale you give, other religioins would challenge that as being unfair. Which is exactly how the anti-Easter-as-a-holiday movement started.

That same rationale could be applied to Christmas, but I think Christmas has become cultural as well as religious and they don't dare mess with that.

jessiern, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2008

I'm just jealous about all your folks getting holiday for any holiday. Our little hole in the wall doesn't do that.

But, I knew that when i signed the dotted line, so to speak

queenjean · Mar 26, 2008

Venting is nice; blaming another religious group for your unfair persecution is not.

And it's not like half of us (myself included) didn't spell Channuka/Hanukka/Chuckanuka totally wrong.

Sometimes humor is a great thing.

My stand by my suggestion to ask your non-Christian coworkers to cover the special days on your religious and personal calendar, though. Just remember to also be respectful of their special days and try to cover them in return. Everyone likes to have their back scratched. No one likes to work on their special days.

But, it didn't seem like she was venting about that so much as venting about it not being a recognized holiday where she gets time and a half. Was she venting about not getting the extra cash, or that a holiday special to her wasn't being officially recognized? Or both? Or maybe I misinterpreted that, too. It's entirely possible. Again, if it causes you spiritual and emotional discontent to work the holiday, that stinks, but it is within your power to trade with a coworker so that you can have that special time. No need to blame those of Jewish faith for you having to work on a Christian holiday. I'll bet you would have gotten more sympathy in your vent if you had left other's religious beliefs out of it. Particularly given the horrible Christian habit in centuries past of killing Jews around the Easter holidays.