I just want to thank everyone who has posted to this thread so far...Some of the posts have challenged me, and, I believe, led me to clearer thinking, but I am more convinced now than ever, that IF IT COMES DOWN TO A CHOICE IS BETWEEN a company wide MLK Day holiday or another discretionary day, having the extra discretionary day is the better choice for everyone - workers and company both.
When I have asked for Good Friday off, it has been to go to Good Friday church services which are unique to that day and not something that can be substituted with some other day like making a deal with my supervisor that I will work this coming Friday and reschedule a day off where I am at home with the plumber dealing with that slow draining sink next Tuesday instead.
For someone who says he wants MLK Day off, I ask the question: Will it ultimately be a day catch up on errands and laundry and just have some extra time to relax, or is it to actually do something really special with other people to honor the life of MLK? I figure now, even more than when I started this thread, that the number of UPSers wanting to do something really special for MLK Day is sufficiently small, that all those people could be accomodated with the extra discretionary day. Maybe UPS would be short staffed, but, it would be a manageable situation, just like the days leading up to Valentine's day or Mothers' Day where there is some spike in volume and people who come in work some extra hours.
The benefit to the company would be not having the operation paused and the benefit to workers would be more flexibility. Furthermore, I think most people would agree that it is possible to honor someone when one is going about one's day, even if one is not taking the day off. For example, I figure if one is not actually doing something really special on the holiday, one can honor MLK (or veterans) in one's thoughts as one drives a brown truck as easily as when one is catching up on errands or chores around the house on that holiday...and save the day off for something like going to one's daughter's big track meet...