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

The International Transport Workers’ Federation, a labor union based in London that represents a million seafarers, has received about 1,000 inquiries since the start of the conflict from crew near the strait, asking for support.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 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

In the same year, more than 50 drivers were killed in Lima and its outskirts, according to labor union Anitra.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

Nick Daniels, the president of the labor union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, put the situation into stark terms on Wednesday.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

Maybe I could use the fact that Cuba’s labor union was supporting the nationalization of all the private schools to convince Papa that going to the meetings was okay.

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

Related Words

• trade union