No 3 day weekend for the 4th of July its
on a Wed. Let the Friday before Labor Day
be a holiday to,a workers dream a 4 day
weekend.

Why not take a personal vacation day on the Friday before Labor Day and give your employer a break. Your employer is already paying for numerous holidays during the year are you saying you deserve another paid day off?

Yeah, I'm in HR and it kills me that employees think we're slavedrivers because we don't give a holiday at the drop of a hat. We're a service company, meaning our revenue, which pays payroll and rent and bills, comes from people's time. As a small company of less than 75 people, an extra day off costs more than $10,000. Take a vacation day, it's fine with me -- I have to pay you for it no matter when you take it anyway.

What is the big deal by not having
another federal holiday honoring the
working stiff.The average European
gets a months paid vacation.

I think you're confusing employee benefits with federal holidays. There are no federal holidays other than the exact day of an event (although it may be observed on a Fri or Monday). As far as I know, there are absolutely no labor laws whatsoever in our country requiring any day off, including Christmas, that is entirely up to your employer. It wouldn't matter if it were a federal holiday, it's your employer who decides your days off. Your employer can declare any day of the year a day off, many do for Friday after Thanksgiving, for example--nowadays I've seen floating holidays or free time where you just get a certain number of days off a year and you take them off whenever you want. I personally do think US employers are too stingy on avg with days off and vacation time and only when workers refuse to put up with it will things change, but the issue is your employer, not federal holidays.

To gettowork & Mark:
Phhhhhttttt!!!! Lack of vacation time is one of the reasons there is so much tension in this country. I have worked for the same company for 23 years. We get NO sick time - if you are sick you stay home, however this is strictly monitered; God forbid you stay out for more than two days at a time. Our days off are the "legal" holidays - no more. (Forget Columbus Day, Presidents Day, etc.) After 15 years, I asked for an extra weeks vacation - whoopie - I now get three!!!!!! But I can't take two in a row.
How can the Europeans have so much more vacation time than us?
Any candidate for the US presidency that ran on a "more vacation time" platform would have my vote....wait a minute, wouldn't that be George W? Oh, I guess it's just vacation time for HIM

You know what's great about America? Freedom of choice. I choose to work for an employer that offers 17 days vacation, plus I can take unpaid leave. It's my decision. God bless America.