That hasn't been my experience. In two different companies I worked at (none of them companies I ran myself), the company settled quickly over claims, at least one of which was candidly pretty frivolous. It's annoying to have to find and retain an attorney to get this done, but my expectation is that if you had an attorney bring a credible claim, you'd likely get some degree of satisfaction.

That's nice, but for another point of anecdata I've seen more companies flagrantly break laws, than ones who follow them, especially when it's in the best interest of the company.

Most workers cannot afford to take their employers to court, and the businesses know this and take advantage of it every single day.

Does the situation in the United States seem to back up this anecdote? Do we see companies fail or suffer extreme setbacks from workers exercising their rights across the land? Or do we see companies growing at massive rates while employee compensation has stagnated?

No. They suffer no setbacks, admit to nothing, and there isn't even a record left that can establish a precedent for the next person to get screwed. You can tell through the pathetic press releases of the various agencies responsible, esp. the EEOC: these are the best settlements they're getting.

Your best option is to find the sleaziest, most experienced lawyer possible. A lawyer who is adept at delay, distraction, and costly legal requests. The company will settle for a moderate amount (maybe a couple years salary in exchange for your silence.) You'll give half to the lawyer.

I'm pretty sure that in a lot of cases it's the same lawyers threatening to sue the same companies over the same behavior, and getting the same settlements in return for the same NDA. It can become a relationship between lawyer and company functioning like an external severance pay arbitration department.