labor union

American  

noun

labor unions plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• labor unions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of labor union

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

labor union

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

Samsung and its labor union are holding post-mediation talks this week in a final effort to reach a settlement.

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg recently moved to Manhattan and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is eyeing property in South Florida as a labor union tries to place a wealth tax on the November ballot in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 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

Despite Marx & Haas Clothing Company’s concessions to the labor union, the workrooms were crowded and the air was filthy.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

Related Words

• trade union