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

This week, air traffic controllers with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a labor union and aviation safety organization, demanded the end of the shutdown and handed out leaflets. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025

Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor speaks during a press conference celebrating his primary victory with leaders and members of the city’s labor unions on July 2, 2025 in New York. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

Renewable energy companies and labor unions strongly opposed a bill by Assemblywoman Dawn Addis, D-San Luis Obispo, which would have prohibited construction of new battery storage plants within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, hospitals, parks and prime agricultural land. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

While the night celebrated Mamdani’s coalition of Democratic Socialist of America leaders, labor union heads, and activists, the rally also reflected how far Mamdani had come from an unknown, leftist state assemblyman, polling under one percent, to a darling of the Democratic mainstream. —Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 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.