With Sadness On Labor Day

The Institute for Personality and Ability Testing has certified Robert Fettgather as a Stress Management Trainer, and Medical Hypnosis Seminars of the Los Gatos Institute has certified him in Clinical Hypnotherapy.  At Santa Clara University, Graduate Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, Robert Fettgather studied Health Education and Behavioral Medicine. Robert Fettgather has completed Hospice Training with Hospice of the Valley.

As you fire up the barbecue this holiday, consider the following. Labor Day has long been a celebration of workers’ contributions and a reminder of the utility and outright dignity of labor. Yet in 2025, a new challenge is reshaping the workforce: artificial intelligence. While AI promises efficiency and innovation, it also seems well-positioned to threaten the foundation of stable employment.

Across industries, AI is displacing jobs once thought secure, particularly for newcomers. White-collar roles in law, finance, and healthcare are increasingly automated, while service and logistics workers face growing replacement from robotics and algorithms. This shift risks widening inequality: highly skilled workers who design and manage AI systems gain, while millions of middle- and lower-income workers see their livelihoods diminished. College grads now have a higher unemployment rate than the population at large!

The consequences extend well beyond paychecks. Think about the psychological impacts and loss of identity. Work provides not only income, but also structure, community, and, particularly, meaning. We face a future where machines dominate production, leaving people alienated and society divided. While Labor Day should always honor past victories, more importantly it must, spark urgent dialog and action about how to ensure that AI serves human needs rather than displacing them.

Without deliberate policies to restrict AI development (as well as job retraining, stronger labor protections, and equitable distribution of AI’s gains),  the holiday meant to honor workers may become a day of mourning as we grieve a way of life that is forever lost.