Subsistence pay (also called Per Diem) depends on the contract, the employer, the employee, and the contract that binds the work.
The reason we have 2,000 Unions in America is that we have 5,000 trades -- quite often, one Union will represent tradesmen from two or three trades.
Independent businessmen sometimes form Guilds. They secure work for each other, negotiate on behalf of one another, and negotiate with Unions.
It makes a great partnership between labor and management.
