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

As a result, service delays are likely, labor unions warn. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025

In Italy, protesters took to the streets in cities including Rome, Pisa, Florence, and Turin, and a major Italian labor union has called for a national general strike on Friday, across public and private sectors, in solidarity with the flotilla and the people of Gaza. —Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025

Anyone who doesn’t fit into this machine – triads, activists, labor unions – tend to just disappear, Tan explains. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025

While the savings from the pay cut are a drop in the bucket in addressing the city’s deficit, Salinas said the concessions are an act of good faith as officials prepare to renegotiate contracts with the city’s labor unions ahead of further budget cuts this fall. —Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 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.