One of the most quiet times of the year in Marshall occurs on the weekend of Labor Day.

Everyone is at the lake or out at a campground. Everyone who’s not is in Tracy for Box Car Days. With last weekend’s heat wave, the very few who had nothing else to do were sheltering indoors with air conditioning.

It was a good time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday. Labor Day is one of America’s most under-rated special occasions, easily more important than the over-rated events like Halloween and Valentine’s Day.

Labor Day reminds us of the value of our nation’s workforce. Millions of average Americans are the true backbone of the economy.

They pay the taxes that enable us to have good public schools. They pay into the Social Security system in a way that provides checks for senior citizens.

We currently have a labor shortage in America. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the Baby Boom generation is retiring. Young families are not having enough kids to take their place.

It’s a situation where immigration could prove valuable. We should welcome immigrants who want a better life, who will take jobs that employers find hard to fill.

We shouldn’t blame employers who go to the Texas border to recruit workers. They have a need. They offer at least $15 an hour, the kind of wage that means anyone capable of working should work,

America is starting to see dependable labor as a valued commodity. Workers at places like Starbucks and Amazon decided to unionize. They count for something, They deserve a return on their efforts to show up every day and do honest work.

Some critics of unions claim that we shouldn’t need them. If the world were perfect they’d be right. In a perfect world, everyone would have an ideal transactional relationship with their employer. Both sides would benefit in ways that help everyone.

The whole idea of maximizing profit stands in the way of that type of perfect capitalist system. It means that owners should want every last dime of profit they can get. It means that they shouldn’t share wealth with employees any more than necessary.

In 2023 we might be seeing the start of a more enlightened attitude. So many things about the economy rest on the value of human capital. So much of it depends not so much on what needs to be done but on the need for a dependable labor force to make things happen.

Part of that standard rests on the value of an educated workforce. The Carnegie library construction projects were founded on the belief that anyone should be able to get access to information. Anyone should be able to better himself or herself after their standard work day.

It was thought that they should share in the prosperity of their country, that they could come from humble beginnings and grow in ways that enable them to thrive economically.

As we shift from industry toward information-based enterprises, it’s more important than ever that the standards of fair labor hold true. It’s important that people still have fair opportunities to become part of a successful class of professionals.

We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out. There are many signs that dependable labor can no longer be taken for granted, that those with proven track records deserve to be rewarded.

They deserve good wages. They deserve advancement potential. They should be given an incentive that goes beyond simply putting food on the table. We all benefit when those incentives exist.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent