Nearly Three In Ten Organizations Will Close For Business On Martin Luther King Day

ARLINGTON, Va., -- In observance of Martin Luther King Day, nearly three in ten employers (28 percent) will give all or most workers a paid holiday on Monday, January 18, according to BNA's most recent survey of holiday practices.

This is down slightly from figures reported by employers in 2008 (31 percent), 2007 (33 percent) and 2006 (31 percent) but is still a marked increase over the more than two decade history of this holiday. Only 14 percent of surveyed employers made Martin Luther King Day a paid holiday in its inaugural year of 1986 and figures stayed in the teens for six years until a spike in 1993 (24 percent). Figures remained in the low to mid-20 percent range before climbing to 30 percent for the first time in 2003.

Consistent with past years, nonbusiness employers are far more likely to make Martin Luther King Day a paid holiday than are nonmanufacturing or manufacturing establishments. More than one-half of nonbusiness organizations (54 percent) will make January 18 a paid holiday, compared with 22 percent of nonmanufacturing firms and only 4 percent of manufacturers.

Larger organizations, with 1,000 or more employees, are more likely to give workers paid time off on Martin Luther King Day than their smaller counterparts (41 percent versus 24 percent). Organizations with a union presence are more likely than those without one to designate Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday (42 percent of unionized establishments compared with 24 percent of nonunion organizations).

Sample: A cross-section of 315 employers responded to a web-based survey administered from September 23 to October 5, 2009. Of these 78 percent employ fewer than 1,000 workers, while 22 percent employ 1,000 workers or more. Twenty-seven percent of those participating were manufacturing firms, 40 percent were services/nonmanufacturing companies, and 33 percent were nonbusiness organizations. Nonunion establishments make up 79 percent of the survey sample, while the remaining 21 percent employ at least some union-represented workers.

BNA is a leading publisher of print and electronic news and information for professionals in business and government. BNA produces more than 300 news and information services, including the highly respected Daily Labor Report, the Daily Report for Executives, and Bulletin to Management.

SOURCE BNA