Their minds are not as focused on the unfairness of their wages as they are on who will be eliminated on their favorite reality show that night or who will win tonight's big game.
More and more people are kept "on the verge" of bankruptcy but not quite. Giving them the idea that they must work harder and longer to make ends meet. And people are pushed over the edge slowly instead of en masse. This makes everyone's problems unique and the common thread more difficult to find.
Making financial indepence or even job security more difficult gives the "aristocracy" or corporate bosses the latitude to tell workers that "if they don't like the wages offered, there are millions of others that would. So people tuck their tails between their legs and just say, "yes, sir"