The American work ethic is pretty resilient. I don't think most professionals have a problem putting in a few extra hours a week, especially if the company shows appreciation and acknowledges the commitment, but there are instances where people work 60-80 hours a week at the expense of all else. Some professionals like actuaries, petrol engineers, etc. have to travel on top of that.
Running your own business or being self-employed is a different issue entirely because you aren't in a contracted position.
By 'government intervention' I really just meant the government stipulates that a MAXIMUM work load has to be written in the contract. That opens up the topic to more negotiations. If it's 70 hours, and you're clocking in it 69.99 hours, the company can't call you in for 30 minutes of work on Saturday unless your contract is renegotiated.