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

With those fears in mind, municipal leaders, housing advocates, labor unions, historic preservationists and others have called for lawmakers to approve a six-year tax credit that would help developers convert more underused buildings into residences or other uses. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025

One other thing Aguirre has in her favor is broad support from labor unions, including SEIU Local 221, which represents thousands of county government workers. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025

Already, labor unions, like the United Brotherhood of the Teamsters and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), have taken a vested interest in preventing the integration of technology that would trigger job loss for members. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 17 June 2025

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted four raids last week resulting in the arrest of 44 individuals including a local labor union president. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for labor union

• antiunion
• communion
• disunion
• nonunion

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.