open shop

noun

1. a factory, office, or other business establishment in which a union, chosen by a majority of the employees, acts as representative of all the employees in making agreements with the employer, but in which union membership is not a condition of employment.

open shop

noun

1. an establishment in which persons are hired and employed irrespective of their membership or nonmembership of a trade union Compare closed shop union shop

open shop

1. A business that employs both unionized and nonunionized labor.

Other Word Forms

• open-shop adjective
• anti-open-shop noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of open shop¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

"People had taken loans to open shops and buy taxis, now everyone is staring at an uncertain future. What's happened to our paradise," he asks.

From BBC

He’s already alluded to a reelection campaign, saying it might take more time to reestablish his hometown as a city where every tourist wants to visit and every business wants to open shop.

From Los Angeles Times

Critics blame New York’s slow retail growth partly on bureaucratic issues, like delays in setting up a $200 million “social equity” fund to help applicants open shops.

From Seattle Times

A long queue formed outside the only open shop as people sought supplies.

From Reuters

It was the “open shop capital of America.”

From Los Angeles Times