>Free-market fanatics see this all as a good thing but I'm really not happy with this rapid return to piece-work, which was outlawed in favor of hourly rates an

>Free-market fanatics see this all as a good thing but I'm really not happy with this rapid return to piece-work, which was outlawed in favor of hourly rates and minimum wages. Funny thing is that US has minimum wage and til recently had mandatory union participation. Sweden has neither. Yet, Sweden has a much better working conditions and more free market. It's quite funny to observe US people got used to crony capitalism blaming free market for bad working conditions. Labourism is doing better under free market, you just can't into labourism, that's the problem. When Britain abolished mercantilism in favor of more laizes-faire policies in mid 19th century, the labourism flourished, and the working conditions (which were nearly stagnant in the previous 50 years) improved dramatically. Regardless the regulations you would impose you wouldn't have good working conditions until you achieve basic consciousness. Labourism is not about regulations, it's about consciousness. Otherwise there would be a few in power dictating to the many, and it doesn't matter if these in power would sit in the governments or in corporations.