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

Posey also received $5,000 from Public Employees Union Local #1, a labor union that represents public-sector workers, including El Dorado County employees. — Haley Parsley october 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

OpenAI is now focusing its political spending on a less-controversial alliance with labor unions to build data centers. — Garrison Lovely, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026

She has been endorsed by 13 of the City Council’s 15 members and an array of business leaders, labor unions and advocacy groups. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Growing workplace automation prompted Kia Corp’s labor union to request a dedicated body to safeguard labor rights in the AI era. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 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.