labor union

/ˌleɪbər ˌjunjən/

/ˈleɪbə ˈjunjən/

Other forms: labor unions

A labor union is a group formed by workers that helps them protect their rights and more easily bargain for better pay and working conditions. Most police officers and firefighters belong to unions.

The earliest labor unions formed in Britain (where they're more commonly called "trade unions") during the 1700s. The Industrial Revolution created all kinds of jobs for people, but it also presented new dangers and risks for workers. Labor unions, then and now, allow laborers to collectively form what's know as a bargaining unit, giving them a larger voice and more power as they seek workplace safety, benefits like healthcare, and higher wages.

Definitions of labor union

1. noun

   an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
   synonyms: brotherhood, trade union, trades union, union

   types:

   industrial union, vertical union

   a labor union that admits all workers in a given industry irrespective of their craft

   craft union

   a labor union whose membership is restricted to workers in a particular craft

   company union

   a union of workers for a single company; a union not affiliated with a larger union

   I.W.W., IWW, Industrial Workers of the World

   a former international labor union and radical labor movement in the United States; founded in Chicago in 1905 and dedicated to the overthrow of capitalism; its membership declined after World War I

   Teamsters Union

   an industrial union of truck drivers and chauffeurs and warehouse workers

   United Mine Workers, United Mine Workers of America

   an industrial union of mine workers in North America

   type of:

   organisation, organization

   a group of people who work together