union shop

noun

: an establishment in which the employer by agreement is free to hire nonmembers as well as members of the union but retains nonmembers on the payroll only on condition of their becoming members of the union within a specified time

Examples of union shop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike the Minnesota town, the city was never overly dependent on one employer, and several union shops from the 1950s remain in business today. —TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

In recent months, discontent has bubbled beneath the surface in Local 50 and other union shops, with members accusing union leaders of failing to effectively represent their interests. —Gabriel San Román, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2023

One sticking point last time that would come up in a new merger: CBS News is a union shop, while CNN is not. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

As for Mailchimp’s involvement in future podcasting projects, the company’s options may be limited as union shops become the norm. —Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 14 Dec. 2023

The transition to a union shop went smoothly at some theaters. —Hillel Italie, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023

In a union shop, union nonmembers are covered by the same contract as union members and have the same rights. —Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2023

When Republicans in the legislature proposed a right-to-work bill, which would allow workers in union shops to opt out of paying dues, Snyder initially opposed it. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023

The station’s union shop steward, Valdez chaired the 8 Ball Emergency Fund, which helps local journalists in need and grants scholarships, and spent years as a docent for the Los Angeles Conservancy, leading tours of downtown. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

union shop

noun

: a unionized business in which the employer by agreement is free to hire nonmembers as well as members of the union but union membership within a specified time (as 30 days) is a condition of continued employment compare agency shop, closed shop, open shop

Note: State law determines whether a collective bargaining agreement can have a clause creating a union shop. Many states having right-to-work laws bar union shop agreements.