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

But labor union officials disputed that, saying Newsom, whose budget did not include any suggestions to close gaps caused by the federal government’s steep cuts to Medi-Cal and a wide range of social services, isn’t coming up with other answers. —Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, noting that Alex Pretti was also a labor union member, said Pretti was following his constitutional rights when he was killed in Minneapolis. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

The hourlong discussion, before hundreds of labor union members and their families at the Texas AFL-CIO political convention, served as an early preview for themes Democrats hoping to overtake the Republican majority in the Senate in November are likely to stress throughout the midterm campaign. —Thomas Beaumont, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026

This group later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and then became the United Farm Workers, or the UFW labor union. —Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026

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.