[abrokenpipe]

My theory has always been that the decoupling was due to the effects of exponential population growth becoming more linear in the 50s (and taking ~20yrs to kick in). When population growth is exponential everyone has opportunity to "move up the ladder". As the growth rate flattens, demand drops and things get more competitive. This combined with an economic/fiscal focus on GDP and "the stock market" meant workers wages had to bear the brunt, thus leading to a number of things like union busting.