Was your time off approved?

Does the new director know that the meeting is on an off day ? Is it a critical meeting to address an urgent issue ? --- Or does the director intentionally pick this off day to have a meeting to send a message that he/she is the boss and "there is a new sheriff in town" and all the fun is off the table, and from now on, it is just strictly business the way he/she wants ?

Chances are the meeting organizer made a mistake. Probably didn't realize it's an off Friday...

I see 0 evidence that this is forced. In fact, I see people being sheep and just deciding that this must be mandated from on-high and people cancelling vacations, when the simple and EFFECTIVE method is to talk to the person to confirm. I feel there's a massive communication barrier in this organization if all it takes is a meeting invite to ruin vacations for 8 people.

INFO: did you have any communication with the meeting organizer? If yes, what was the response? If not, what stops you from writing a two-sentence email and ask if the meeting was shecluded on an off-day by mistake?

"My wife and kids are really disappointed. I'm taking one for the team." Are you though? Taking one for your family would mean not going to the meeting. You have an off day, you don't even want to go to the meeting, your family doesn't want you to go, so why are you still thinking about going?

Did the new director approve to pay everyone overtime to attend?

Does everyone take the same Fridays off, or are they staggered? If it's the same off day for everything, scheduling a meeting for that day would be like scheduling a meeting on a weekend at a "normal" company, which would be practically unheard of.

Your wife and kids are the ones "taking one for the team".

There is a key detail missing here that affects the answer to this question: did anyone confirm with the director that this meeting was intentionally scheduled on that Friday while being fully aware that it was the off day?

After the update, do you still need advice or have you already made your decision?

@mreff555 insulting people working at McDonald's is unnecessary and you sound better than that

I'd be getting ready to leave regardless of any outcome of this event. "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." Prevents no end of further abuse.

Another suggestion: make all vacation requests include actual workdays on both ends, like, don't rely that "everyone knows we have this Friday off", start with Thursday. Was anyone on the list who had requested off starting Thursday? I would take the day after Holidays too.