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

Supporting affordable healthcare, childcare and college tuition, along with stronger labor unions, higher minimum wages and a fairer tax system, are not ideas that threaten democracy. — Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2026

Gaspar has backing from Airbnb and other business groups, while Worth Girvan has been endorsed by Democratic lawmakers and labor unions. — Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

His pay was 2,522,203 times higher than the median Tesla’s employee pay of $57,243 annually, according to an executive paywatch analysis from America’s largest federation of labor unions, AFL-CIO. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

But with a lack of historical perspective due to term limits and facing powerful labor union influence, state legislators from both parties seem destined to repeat the mistake of the past. — Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 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.