To them, the “classical” form of unions had changed irreversibly after World War I in Europe, and perhaps since the mid-1930s, even in the United States. From then on, unions were considered to be fully recognized by the law, by employers, and by public opinion. They had attained the status of politically legitimate quasi-public institutions, with indispensable functions for the stability of the social order.

Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, loc. 964