DDeBar:
>
>Larger enterprises have the wherewithal to exploit
>much more "efficiently"; look at the "company town" model, for example.
>Also, the high unemployment pressure that they have helped to impose place
>them at a distinct advantage (in terms of waivers from state and federal
>labor laws and regs, taxes, etc.), and their mere size, aside from
>providing economies of scale, also allow them to wield considerably more
>power against labor (e.g., legal costs that can be spent in litigation
>against worker's claims, pension profiteering, etc., etc.) than the small
>owner.

Here is an unscientific two-cents worth from someone who lives it 5 days a week:
 Although the above sounds good in theory, nowadays larger enterprises (for
whatever reason) tend to offer better benefits, better working conditions
(ie air conditioning, tuition reimbursement, dental coverage) and higher
wages. Perhaps having better working conditions is a technique for more
efficient exploitation.   Absurd as this sounds, there is some truth to it.
         OSHA, (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) badly
overburdened, just doesn't have time to inspect smaller businesses, because
the likleyhood of serious accidents is lower simply because fewer people
work there.
        -LL

  "Open your eyes
   And look within.
   Are you satisfied
   With the life you're livin' ?"
            Bob Marley