Because the conversation about @AOC’s 60 dollar tee shirts has come up yet again, I feel as though we need to talk a little about surplus value

Surplus value is the excess of value produced by the labor of workers over the wages they are paid. This is a Marxist theory that examines how societies strip the value of workers for capital

It is especially important to consider the level of minimum wage right now. According to the economic policy institute, American minimum wage value has dropped 17% since 2009, and 31% since 1968

This leaves minimum wage workers with close to 700 dollars LESS to spend on food, utilities, healthcare, education etc.

AOC sells 60 dollar tee shirts so that the workers making the shirts can reclaim their surplus value, as she has repeatedly stated the shirts are not being sold at profit. As you can see, workers are significantly more productive while claiming significantly less value for work

Thanks for reading, please reach out if you have any questions!

Small edit to the post about how much less minimum wage workers are making. It’s supposed to be 7000 dollars not 700