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

The labor code was approved by Parliament five years ago in 2020 after extensive debate involving states, manufacturers across sectors and labor unions. —Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2025

Powerful labor unions, working closely with local city council members, are pushing regulations to make self-checkout so costly and complicated that stores will drop it. —Jon Fleischman, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025

More than two-thirds of American adults approve of labor unions, according to Gallup polling, a level last reached in the 1950s and early 1960s. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 23 Nov. 2025

Since then, dozens of immigration judges across the country have been removed from their post, according to International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, a labor union representing immigration judges. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 21 Nov. 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.