For many years, my dad was given 4 days off a year for both sick and vacation time. Any other time was unpaid. He changed jobs last year, and I haven't asked him if his new job is the same or not.

It is absolutely ridiculous.

It’s not true for white collar work. For the most part, salaried and even non salaried full time workers get at least 20 days of paid time off a year.