labor union

noun

: an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions

members of a labor union with job protection under a collective bargaining agreement with the employer

—Seth Sandronsky

Examples of labor union in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The legal group Democracy Forward is suing on behalf of labor unions representing thousands of employees. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2025

Unions sued, calling the resignation offer unlawful, arbitrary and capricious The legal group Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit on Feb. 4 on behalf of labor unions representing more than 800,000 civil servants. —Andrea Hsu, NPR, 10 Feb. 2025

What To Know On February 5, the Labor Department reached an agreement with a coalition of labor unions, in which the department agreed not to release any data to DOGE. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Almost 700,000 lives have been saved by such safety standards since OSHA was established, according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, a group of 61 labor unions. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

labor union

noun

: an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and advance the interests of its members concerning wages, benefits, and working conditions

Legal Definition

labor union

noun

: a labor organization usually consisting of workers of the same trade that is formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests (as through collective bargaining) in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions see also craft union, bargaining unit

Note: Labor unions and employers are subject to the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or Wagner Act), as amended by the Labor Management Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act and the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure (Landrum-Griffin) Act. The NLRA authorized the establishment of the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency which administers the provisions of the Act.