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 union had also joined other county labor unions to challenge the measure in court. —Rebecca Ellis follow, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025

But that will require confronting labor unions, something BART management is reluctant to do. —Liz Ames, Mercury News, 8 July 2025

Over 25 other labor unions and organizations signed onto a letter in support of TDU that the union delivered to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority last week. —Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

The bid to bring a casino to Times Square has the backing of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a number of labor unions, and just this week got the blessing of Rev. Al Sharpton — but still faces local pushback, particularly from the theater industry. —Téa Kvetenadze, New York Daily News, 28 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.