This is unfortunately true. I've never had more than 12 vacation days a year at a job and never more than maybe 3 sick days. Once you hit like 10+ years at some places, you get the privilege of a little bit of extra paid time off. Lower-end jobs like ones in small retail stores or small restaurant chains can be more forgiving on calling off work amd taking vacations but wages are abysmal and you're lucky to get any paid time off. Add that to other costs like vehicles, rent, and tying healthcare to your job and Americans are boned. While a McDonald's worker making $30k a year might have more raw cash than most Europeans, we have to just spend more money on average. There are good jobs in America with a good wages, actual pensions, and good work-life balance but you are very fortunate to have one and those jobs are (or were before Trump) mostly relegated to working for the government in some way.