Chrysler Closes....

Ok, this may sound or be stupid, but I really didnt think it was that big of a deal when I saw it on the news. When I was a kid my fathers best friend was a GM worker and he was always off because they shut the plant down for a month or so at the end of the year. He actually enjoyed having the time off. Maybe Im just naive or things have changed, but is there any difference between the end of the year shutdown now versus in the past?