trade union

American  

noun

• trade unions
  plural

1. a labor union of craftspeople or workers in related crafts, as distinguished from general workers or a union including all workers in an industry.

2. labor union.

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trade union British  

noun

1. an association of employees formed to improve their incomes and working conditions by collective bargaining with the employer or employer organizations

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trade unionism
  noun
• trade unionist
  noun
• trade-union
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trade unions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trade union

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade union

“They say the gasoline is finished; until tomorrow,” he said in a video posted by the Union of Truckers and Drivers Organizations Across Iran, an independent trade union representing the transport sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The trade union Unite branded the plan to cut health boards a "slash and burn programme for the NHS".

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

A flight attendant in France has succeeded in having her breast cancer recognised as an occupational disease, a first for the country's aviation industry, her lawyer and a trade union said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

“We have demanded more agents and more resources for many years,” said Rachid Sbihi, the spokesman for the trade union representing the civilian police force in Ceuta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Typically the subject was a well-to-do immigrant supporting some potential insurgency in his old land, or else funding a fledgling trade union or radical student organization.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee