agency shop

noun

: an establishment in which the union serves as the agent for and receives dues and assessments from all employees in the bargaining unit regardless of union membership

Examples of agency shop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Yet, if the court strikes down mandatory agency shop fees, a teacher is faced with an entirely different incentive. —

James Freeman, WSJ, 1 June 2018 The agency shop for public unions was challenged in the 1977 Supreme Court case of Abood v. Detroit Board of Education , which issued a divided verdict. —

Richard A. Epstein, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agency shop.' 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

circa 1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of agency shop was circa 1946

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Agency shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agency%20shop. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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Legal Definition

agency shop

noun

: a shop in which the labor union serves as the bargaining agent for and receives dues from all employees in the bargaining unit regardless of union membership compare open shop, union shop