Yep, in the US, it's up to the employer
Except for the FMLA which they must allow.
Some will give you a week or two when you start, and if you leave within the first year you have to pay them back for it because it's pro-rated on your year of work.
I worked at one place where they wouldn't give me more than 6 work days off for my wedding, yes, my wedding(and honeymoon - we went camping in Canada), but they did give me $50. They said they couldn't function without me for that long. A couple months later I told them I could function without them.
Where I work now, we get hours of vacation (around 210, not including the 9 Holidays and 4.5 Personal Holidays which are treated as 36 hours) and you have to work 40 hours per week. I can get off for an entire month at a time and am usually off for the two weeks around Christmas and New Years. Of course, it took 16 years to get to this level.
If you work 9 hour days, you can have a 3-day weekend for 4 hours of vacation. So the personal holidays translate into nine 3-day weekends. If you want to work 9.5 hour days, it's only 2 hours of vacation for a 3-day weekend, and if you're up for 10 hour days, the three day weekend is free, but you have to request the day off, you just don't use any vacation for it.
I remember when I was younger, vacations used to refresh and energize me and I'd "feel better" when I got back to work. Now it's the opposite, being on vacation makes me want to stay on vacation, not go back to work!
