One of the things that those of us who managed to get beyond Econ 101 understand is the difference between elastic and inelastic markets. The markets for basic foodstuffs and labour are both inelastic, which means that simple supply/demand does not work well. 

The other thing some of us understand is that some decisions are necessarily collective, not individual. The most obvious example is that there is no particular reason to prefer the left or the right side of the road; however, we must all drive on the same side. You do not have an individual right to choose which side of the road to drive on. Unionisation is another one of those necessarily collective decisions. Either all the workers in a particular workplace need to join the union, or none. "Right to work" which forbids mandatory union membership, is effectively a ban on unions, a gross violation of freedom of association, and economically unwise besides. It's the main reason why US wages are not keeping up.