Exploitation is intrinsic to wage labor regardless of pay level or employer morality.

Evidence

Class exploitation is not tied to low wages, has nothing to do with the indiscriminate mistreatment of some workers, and cannot simplistically be attributed to the immorality of employers. Morality is irrelevant; the crucial point lies elsewhere. All wage labor, even if it pays well, is by definition exploited labor because, counterintuitively, we as workers produce more value than we receive in our paychecks. “Exploitation” is a term that captures the essence of the wage relationship between worker and employer. The slogan “A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work” is a hoax. It is not enough to increase wages and obtain better working conditions to free oneself from exploitation. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 98

Categorization

• QUESTION: Stress-test: if exploitation is irreducible to pay level, what reform program remains available inside this account of capitalism?
• XREF: connects to: All wage labor is exploited regardless of wage level — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 98; Worker-client relations reflect societal structure regardless of administrative guidelines.