Tyranny at Work

In the tradition of Barbara Ehrenreich and David Graeber, journalist Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein exposes the hidden authoritarianism of the American workplace—where employers hold near-total power, and workers navigate a daily landscape of surveillance, silencing, and control—arguing that work in America operates outside of democracy, showing us why that’s always been true, and looking for a way out.

Working life in America can be brutal. Constant surveillance, abrupt firings, stolen wages, and long hours—American workers face strict controls and few rights at work. And when poverty feels just a missed paycheck away, keeping the job means submitting to the system. But if the system feels broken, it’s not: it’s working as intended.

In Tyranny at Work, journalist Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein pulls back the curtain on the invisible architecture of power that governs American workers. Blending incisive history with modern-day reporting, he traces how undemocratic ideas took root in our employment system—and how they flourish today. From 19th-century railroad barons to 21st-century tech moguls, office workers to long-haul truckers, this sweeping narrative follows the rise of management theory and corporate control, revealing how a new class emerged to rule without accountability and continues to strengthen its iron will over the workers of this country as they labor for longer hours and lower pay, and security remains just out of reach. Reporting on the lived experience of working in America today, from the lowest, most precarious workers to those at the very top, Tyranny at Work investigates the doctrines and legal loopholes like at-will employment, private arbitration, and restrictive non-competes that make Americans among the least free workers in the developed world.

In looking at the state of the American workplace, we are forced to ask ourselves if we can keep working this way. Told with equal parts compassion and verve, Tyranny at Work challenges us to reimagine the laws, policies, and power dynamics that define our daily lives. Our current system is neither inevitable nor static. A more egalitarian workplace—and a freer society—is possible.