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

I love her so much — she was a big part of our civil rights and labor movement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 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

Today, the U.S. labor movement is a shadow of its former self.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

But the necessity of having such a counterweight, and the choice of the labor movement as the obvious contender, is getting more bipartisan attention these days than at any time in recent memory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

I found a socialist bookstore and read a history of the labor movement.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers