organized labor

American  

noun

1. all workers who are organized in labor unions.

2. these unions considered as a political force.

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Etymology

Origin of organized labor

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

organized labor

A longtime ally of organized labor, Jackson also had Maine unions heavily organizing for him.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, designed to respond to the Great Depression, had expanded the federal government’s role in the economy and empowered organized labor.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

The deals show the power of organized labor in a city where concerns about the cost of living are widespread and public officials are sympathetic to unions and their message.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

And while only 10% of U.S. workers are in unions now, versus about a third in the mid-1950s, American attitudes toward organized labor have become friendlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

In the city’s richest clubs, industrialists gathered to toast the fact that Carter Henry Harrison, whom they viewed as overly sympathetic to organized labor, had lost to Hempstead Washburne, a Republican.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson