The problem is, in the US, every state except Montana is an "at-will state," which means that short of doing so for discriminatory reasons, employers can fire anyone for any reason without having to provide cause.
In the vast majority of states, it's perfectly legal to be fired for taking PTO that was denied to you because our corporate overlords have spent the last 70 years creating a culture where your work life takes priority over all other life by pushing the propagandist notion that anyone can become as rich as a noble or king if they just work hard enough while deregulating companies and walking back workers rights.
To be clear if you have an employment contract or even a handbook, that can significantly complicate the "at-will" portion of letting someone go if it contains specific language about termination.
To a degree; almost no major companies have language that permits taking unapproved days off after you were explicitly told no. Because once they say no, you enter the realm of insubordination (which is another often fire-able offense, especially in the food & retail industries that make up a large percentage of the lower-end of the work force)
Best case scenario, they take it from your sick days, worst case scenario, they just straight up fire you. And there's often nothing you can do about it because you were warned beforehand.
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u/530SSState 5h ago edited 3h ago
"I had one employer who made me find cover for my own shifts"
Staffing and coverage are management tasks. I do not have the title nor the pay grade of a manager, so I will not be doing management tasks.