Exactly, consider the case in the article, lunch breaks.<p>The employer has ALL of the power in the employer&#x2F;employee relationship without unions. If the employer hints or suggests that you work through lunch for no pay and you don&#x27;t want to get fired, you skip lunch. Regulations are the only way we have left to ensure employers don&#x27;t abuse their employees.<p>Employers have worked very hard over the last century to destroy unions entirely (in the public eye with a very powerful propaganda campaign, with intimidation and physical violence, with lobbying and changes in legislation) and they&#x27;ve largely succeeded. Well, you decided you don&#x27;t want to negotiate on even terms with your employees and find some reasonable compromise, you want to treat your company like a dictatorship, so now the government has to come in and set ground rules since you couldn&#x27;t play nice. Sorry, no sympathy.<p>I think exempting businesses from most regulation if their workforce is unionized is a reasonable compromise. As a business owner, you can choose; the negotiating table or the government can come in and tell you exactly what you can and cannot do in great detail and force you to prove that you are compliant. If you have a good relationship with your employees and treat them well, this is a win-win no brainer.