You are going to have to help me with the definition of excess productivity and excess profits in this sentence.

" I’m thinking of people I know who know perfectly well that decades of corporations using excess productivity and profits in ways other than raising wages meaningfully created part of the problem."

Corporations did not pay workers well. They paid workers as little as possible. They did not invest in workers. Did not work to establish a loyal workforce. That was a mistake.

I don't think there is such a thing as excess productivity. You can have too little productivity but you can't have too much. Well, I do know that some workers have been told to not work too hard or your "brother" will not get a job. If you are too productive the company will not need to hire more workers. That was a decade or more ago. Times might have changed.

Excess profits, well, some feel like any profit is excessive. They feel like profits are stolen from workers and customers. Profits are excessive when a party is exploited/captive. This is usually caused but monopolistic practices. The lack of competition hurts both customers and workers as they can't take their business elsewhere.

How can we tell if an employee is being exploited or rewarded. I have worked for more than 40 years and the only time I felt exploited was when I was promoted to a management position over my objections. Even when I was working for barely over minimum wage ($2.75 per hour) I felt it was fair and a reward. Before that I worked on a farm and was paid less than minimum wage (which I think was legal, farm workers weren't required to receive minimum wage.) I never felt trapped in those jobs, I was glad to have them but I might have been a bit brainwashed. They paid my living expenses while I was in school. I guess it could have been different if I thought that was going to be the way it would be forever.

TEK