I am not Jewish, but the company i work for is owned by Jews, can they
make use my personal vacation time when it is time for them to observe
their holidays?  Please keep in mind that they never had that policy
before in the company and the are considering it now.

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Clarification of Question by prophetess74-ga on 30 Mar 2004 07:03 PST

I work in Brooklyn, NY. And there has not been any contracts signed,
but in the 8 years that I have been at the company the (unwritten)
policy has always been that those Passover days were just Holiday days
(we get the Jew Holidays and not all of the regular US Holidays) and
we still had the right to use our vacation day however and whenever we
wanted.

"Can they" depend on the place where you live and the labour laws
there. Sometimes, it doesn't only rely on labour law, but on previous
rulings on similar cases, if you have a contract between you that sets
such matters, etc.

I cannot give you a definitive answer based on a single link on such a
general question. Here, for example, for the US state of Michigan:
"I have been told by my employer that I will have to use a week of
vacation time for a planned summer shutdown, can my employer make me
use my vacation time for this?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Vacation time is controlled by the company and can be offered or taken
away.  Under Public Act 390 of 1978, the Payment of Wages and Fringe
Benefits Act, section 3 provides, "an employer shall pay fringe
benefits to or on behalf of an employee in accordance with the terms
set forth in the written contract or written policy."

(SOURCE: State of Michigan, Agency:  Labor & Economic Growth 
<http://www.michigan.gov/cis/0,1607,7-154-27673_27856_27857-83350--,00.html>
)