Jacobin Radio Confronting Capitalism: How Work Got So Bad
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Mar 4, 2026 They trace how technology and management reshape work, turning skilled labor into simplified, replaceable tasks. They explore Braverman’s critique of scientific management and the rise of de-skilling. They consider why workplace conflict is structural and how democratizing workplaces could let productivity benefit workers rather than bosses.
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Workplace Control Is A Political Project
- Braverman turned industrial relations into a study of workplace conflict by showing management’s drive to control workers is political, not neutral.
- His book Labor and Monopoly Capital spawned labor process studies and reframed management as seeking leverage over labor.
Technology Needs Worker Control To Pay Off
- Capitalists face a dual problem: adopting efficient technology and ensuring workers are controlled enough to deliver its returns.
- Managers reconfigure workplaces because unruly worker goals can undercut capital sunk into machines and processes.
Real Control Requires Breaking The Skill Black Box
- Skilled workers historically monopolized knowledge, so employers faced limited authority despite formal control.
- Real control requires cracking the worker's skill 'black box' to set pace and extract predictable output.
