Labor Exploitation in the Era of the Neoliberal Policy Regime​

Professor Rasmus provides a distinction between primary and secondary exploitation from Marx. Primary exploitation is at the workplace, while secondary exploitation is beyond the workplace. Secondary exploitation can include deferred wage payments, like pensions, interest on household debt, price gouging and other ways of clawing back wage payments. These two forms of exploitation have intensified under neo-liberal capitalism, increasing the rate of surplus value.

Dr. Jack Rasmus, Ph.D Political Economy, teaches economics at St. Mary’s College in California. He is the author and producer of the numerous books, including The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy From Reagan to Bush (2019),  Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope? (2017), and forthcoming The Twilight of American Imperialism (October 2025).

Jack is the host of the weekly radio show, Alternative Visions, on the Progressive Radio Network, and a journalist writing on economic, political and labor issues for various magazines, including  European Financial Review, World Financial Review, World Review of Political Economy, ‘Z‘ magazine, and others. Before his current roles as author, journalist and radio host, Jack was an economist and market analyst for several global companies, and for more than a decade, a local union president, vice-president, contract negotiator, and organizer for several labor unions, including the UAW, CWA, SEIU, and HERE. Jack’s website is www.kyklosproductions.com where his published articles, radio-tv interviews, plays and book reviews are available for download. He blogs at jackrasmus.com, where weekly commentaries on US and global economic matters are available. His twitter handle is @drjackrasmus.