text: Farmers always had some degree of control over their own time, but as Western societies industrialized labour autonomy was largely lost. Capitalist industrialists (who were mainly Christian) weren't much concerned about accommodating Christian observances, which workers for the most part were expected to manage on their own time. Rather, these industrialists sought to maximize labour utilization. Unions sought to limit required work hours and to create a formal work break and thus lobbied for and eventually achieved the recognition of the standard (i.e. 40 hour) work week and the weekend as labour rights. These rights were obtained as a result of class struggle rather than by religious tradition and/or fiat, as some appear to want to argue. In recent times, this reality has faded into lore.