The main question of this text is how can we decommodify labor in a sustainable and just way without repeating the mistakes of the old-school Left? In order to do that, the author employs a degrowth paradigm. Within this alternate theoretical framework, the integration of nature and society is understood as contrary to the dominant productivist paradigm in which more is always better. The first part of the publication outlines the relationship between work and the economy that is needed in order for the Earth to become a safe and just place for all. The second part explains how the commodification of labor affects the environment, the freedom of workers and valorization of different types of work. Finally, universal basic services are explored as a novel idea that has the potential to redefine the welfare state and fundamentally change the way we understand work.