The surplus product is the difference between what it costs to produce a commodity and what it is sold for.
Marx argues that, over time, capitalists accumulate what is called “surplus value,” the difference between what a commodity is sold for and what is actually costs to make that commodity. When you work for $15, materials, labor and etc cost $15 and the product or service is sold for $100, there is $60 of surplus value. Capitalists decide what to do with this value, and, as long as workers lack control over what to do about this value, there will be unequal ownership of wealth, as some get to decide how this value is utilized. Creating a social formation in which all get to participate in how profits are utilized would be a social formation in which equality could be possible, and socialism or cooperatives would get us at least part way there. The question becomes: how?
One possible direction could be the creation of workers cooperatives, in which workers get to decide how profits are utilized, invested, distributed. This would be not be popular under american capitalism given that we are so focused on the reinvestment of profits for their growth that actual social outcomes are disregarded. Increased returns do not translate into increased social good.
What would make this shift? How do we convince corporate entities to relinquish power or change their structure so as to make worker concerns the general concerns? Where do we start?
Bearer of Pity 