When I was in the seminary in the early 70s the county had a facility where day laborers could register their availability and skill and employers could hire who they needed for the day. When I returned to work at the seminary 30 years later the county facility was closed. However, those seeking work would hang out at the 7/11 across the street. Employers would find the day laborers they needed by going to the 7/11 parking lot. The parable of the workers in the vineyard shows this is not a new story: “A landowner went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.” As we are wrestling currently on how to construct a more just society we must learn to see things from the bottom up.
