labor union

(noun)

A continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment; a trade union.

Related Terms

Examples of labor union in the following topics:

  • Modern Labor Organizations

    • Labor unions have lost power in the United States over the years and, today, union membership varies by sector.
    • The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States.
    • It was founded in Columbus, Ohio in December 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association.
    • Today, most labor unions in the United States are members of one of two larger umbrella organizations:
    • Private sector union members are tightly regulated by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), passed in 1935.

  • Landrum-Griffin Act

    • The Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 is a U.S. labor law regulating labor unions' internal affairs and officials' relationships with employers.
    • The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (also "LMRDA" of the "Landrum-Griffin Act"), is a United States labor law that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers.
    • Unions had to hold secret elections, reviewable by the Department of Labor.
    • However, Griffin argued that these violations were contrary to the Act, placing the blame instead on the Department of Labor for failing to pursue action against the Teamsters union for its corruptions.
    • Explain how the Landrum-Griffin Act affected labor unions in the US

  • Organized Labor

    • An early example of a labor union is the Knights of Labor.
    • These workers were known as the "non-producers," because their jobs did not entail physical labor.
    • A labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals, such as higher pay, increasing the number employees an employer hires, and better working conditions.
    • The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labor contracts (collective bargaining) with employers.
    • In some countries, trade unions may be invited to participate in government hearings about educational or other labor market reforms.

  • A Brief History of Organized Labor

    • The union movement began in the early 19th century and paved the way for the establishment of the modern labor organizations.
    • The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was a conservative measure that weakened the unions, and highly publicized reports of corruption in the Teamsters and other unions hurt the image of the labor movement during the 1950s.
    • Pressures dictating the nature and power of organized labor have included the evolution and power of the corporation, efforts by employers and private agencies to limit or control unions, and U.S. labor law.
    • As a response, organized unions and labor federations have competed, evolved, merged, and split against a backdrop of changing social philosophies and periodic federal intervention.
    • Outline the increases and declines in the labor union movement of the last 150 years

  • Labor Management Relations Act

    • The Labor Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Amendment) is a U.S federal law that monitors the activities and power of labor unions.
    • The Labor Management Relations Act, or the Taft-Hartley Act, is a United States federal law that monitors the activities and limits the power of labor unions.
    • The amendments enacted in Taft-Hartley added a list of prohibited actions, or unfair labor practices, on the part of unions to the NLRA, which had previously only prohibited unfair labor practices committed by employers.
    • It also required union officers to sign non-communist affidavits with the government.
    • Union shops were heavily restricted, and states were allowed to pass right-to-work laws that outlawed closed union shops.

  • National Labor Relations Act

    • The National Labor Relations Act limits employers' relations to workers who create labor unions and collectively act in support of demands.
    • The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in support of their demands.
    • The law holds that wildcat strikes are illegal, and that workers must formally request that the National Labor Relations Board end their association with their labor union if they feel that the union is not sufficiently supportive of them before they can legally go on strike.
    • The Taft-Hartley Amendment of 1947 is a United States federal law that monitors the activities and power of labor unions.
    • The act was a means of demobilizing the labor movement by imposing limits on labor's ability to strike and by prohibiting radicals from their leadership.

  • Labor-Management Relations Act

    • The Labor-Management Relations Act (or the Taft-Hartley Act) is a U.S. federal law that monitors the activities and power of labor unions.
    • Enacted June 23, 1947, the Labor-Management Relations Act (informally the Taft-Hartley Act) is a United States federal law that monitors the activities and power of labor unions.
    • As a response to the rising union movement and Cold War hostilities, the bill could be seen as a response by business to the post-World War II labor upsurge of 1946.
    • The amendments enacted in the Labor Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley) added a list of prohibited actions, or unfair labor practices, on the part of unions to the NLRA, which had previously only prohibited unfair labor practices committed by employers.
    • Union shops were heavily restricted, and states were allowed to pass right-to-work laws that outlawed closed union shops.

  • Strikes

    • Strike action, also called a labor strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work.
    • A strike action, also called labor strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work.
    • Strikes became important during the Industrial Revolution when mass labor became important in factories and mines.
    • Most strikes are undertaken by labor unions during collective bargaining.
    • Occasionally, workers decide to strike without the sanction of a labor union.

  • Trends in Labor-Management Relations

    • Labor trends include a declining union movement in the US, public sector unions, women leaders, and international unions.
    • Since the middle of the twentieth century, the American labor movement has been in steady decline.
    • In the early 1950s, a third of the United States' total labor force was unionized; by 2012, the proportion was 10%, falling 5% for the private sector.
    • As the manufacturing industries that have constituted the strength of the American Labor Movement declined, such as the steel and auto industries, the rise of the service sector began to see major growth.
    • Summarize the recent history of the labor union movement in America

  • National Labor Relations Act

    • The National Labor Relations Act establishes the right of most private-sector workers to form unions, bargain with management and strike.
    • This led to a series of major labor strikes that polarized American attitudes toward unions, as occurred in the 1890s.
    • The National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency, was established to oversee union elections and address unfair labor complaints.
    • The original employer unfair labor practices consisted of:
    • The National Labor Relations Act is to establish the right of most private-sector workers to form unions, bargain with management.