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 employerSeth Sandronsky

Examples of labor union in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While once-robust labor unions have seen their numbers decline more drastically in France than in other European countries — around 8 percent of French workers belong to labor unions, compared with 35 percent in Italy or 18 percent in Germany — French unions remain strong. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Oil and gas PACs invested heavily in the race, as have labor unions representing nurses and educators. Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 The panel was made up of Federal Aviation Administration officials and representatives from airlines, labor unions and safety units at other aerospace companies. Chris Isidore, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 Although most of the roughly 35,000 workers at Disneyland already have labor unions, about 1,700 performers and character actors do not, the labor group said. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2024 This week, yet another humiliation was visited upon the firm: An additional labor union has decided to take action against the car manufacturer, and this time the end result could be the stifling of Tesla charging stations throughout the country. Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 Biden has frequently touted his strong ties to labor unions, while straining at times to make inroads with working-class members. Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 About 100,000 flight attendants representing three labor unions picketed at over 30 major airports across the U.S. on Tuesday, seeking a new union contract with higher wages. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 Akili is a longtime community organizer and co-founder of a labor union for domestic workers. Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'labor union.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of labor union was in 1849

Cite this Entry

“Labor union.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labor%20union. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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.

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