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

The partnership will allow the two automakers to reduce production costs at the Valencia site, which assembled fewer than 100,000 vehicles in 2025, its lowest output on record, according to the UGT Ford trade union.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Before entering politics, he worked as a journalist, briefly editing Parliament's in-house magazine The House, before becoming a disability rights campaigner and trade union official.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

After a lawsuit by the Verdi trade union two years ago, a court banned automated shops that operate without personnel from opening on Sundays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

The trade union Verdi said the proposal to scrap the early retirement scheme showed "a total disregard for the lifetime achievements of the people concerned".

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Often used for trade union meetings, the huge domed theater had been modified for the match.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady