labor movement

American  

noun

1. labor unions collectively.

   The labor movement supported the bill.

2. the complex of organizations and individuals supporting and advocating improved conditions for labor.

3. the effort of organized labor and its supporters to bring about improved conditions for the worker, as through collective bargaining.

   Their activities proved more harmful than helpful to the labor movement.

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labor movement Cultural  

1. The movement of workers for better treatment by employers, particularly through the formation of labor unions.

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Etymology

Origin of labor movement

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

With roots in the labor movement, Ugarte said he was a community organizer for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and registered union members to vote by mail.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta founded the United Farm Workers and brought new life to the American labor movement, drawing national attention to the brutal working conditions and unlivable wages that agricultural workers experienced.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

One of his accusers, Dolores Huerta, was another UFW co-founder and a prominent figure in the Hispanic labor movement herself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Villaraigosa frequently spoke about his roots in the labor movement, including a farmworker boycott when he was 15 years old.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

The longshoremen’s victory launched the modern labor movement in the western United States, in which workers have the right by law to form unions and bargain with employers.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell