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

Students graduate with multiple certifications, new technical skills and, increasingly, connections with local labor unions known for competitive entry processes. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Apart from the California Democratic Party, Barrera has been endorsed by several leading education labor unions. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Automakers are also grappling with certain skilled labor shortages and an aging human workforce—although the push to deploy more robots and AI has generated backlash from labor unions concerned about layoffs and pressure on worker compensation. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

The cuts account for about 30% of the company’s workers unionized with The NewsGuild-CWA, a North American labor union of journalists and communications workers. — Los Angeles Times, 19 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.