labor union

American  

noun

1. an organization of wage earners or salaried employees for mutual aid and protection and for dealing collectively with employers; trade union.

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labor union Cultural  

1. An organization of workers formed to promote collective bargaining with employers over wages, hours, fringe benefits, job security, and working conditions.

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Etymology

Origin of labor union

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

But my family’s health insurance, supplied by their labor union, wouldn’t cover care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where I had 33 radiation treatments.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

Talks between Samsung and its labor union to avert a walkout collapsed External link on Wednesday.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Richard Barrera, 59, is a longtime school board member in San Diego Unified, the state’s second-largest school system, a senior advisor to Thurmond and before that was a local labor union executive.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“No one is assigned to do labor union cases, and the unions have every reason to believe no one is looking.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

But mine managers refused to acknowledge that the miners had the right to join a labor union.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

Related Words

• trade union