labor union

noun

: an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions
… members of a labor union with job protection under a collective bargaining agreement with the employer.—Seth Sandronsky

Examples of labor union in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The symbolic initial rejection of Moskowitz came after Larkin had been lobbying labor union leaders against him. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 The bill represented a compromise between state leaders and a coalition of progressive lawmakers and labor unions who’d pushed hard for the proposal. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026 Also, a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit leaders has turned in signatures in support of a ballot measure proposing a half-cent sales tax hike for all of San Diego County. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2026 Projects might focus on electoral politics, protests, labor unions, educational initiatives, or any number of other activities. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for labor union

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of labor union was in 1849

Rhymes for labor union

See All Rhymes for labor union

Browse Nearby Words

labor under a delusion/misapprehension/misconception
labor union
Labouchère
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Labor union.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labor%20union. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

labor union

noun
: an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and advance the interests of its members concerning wages, benefits, and working conditions

Legal Definition

labor union

noun
: a labor organization usually consisting of workers of the same trade that is formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests (as through collective bargaining) in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions see also craft union, bargaining unit

Note: Labor unions and employers are subject to the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or Wagner Act), as amended by the Labor Management Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act and the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure (Landrum-Griffin) Act. The NLRA authorized the establishment of the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency which administers the provisions of the Act.

More from Merriam-Webster on labor union

Nglish: Translation of labor union for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All