The Case for the Freelancer’s Union. New Deal compromises, such as job security, partnership between management and labor, and decent wages and benefits, ensured a reasonable standard of living for the common working person in the Golden Age of America (which lasted from roughly the end of World War II to the 1980s). Meanwhile, those of us who carry our own health insurance and who can be laid off on a whim find ourselves living in a new age of anxiety. Good article, but watch where you click.