An Introduction to Labour Unions: What They Are, Their Origins, and Contemporary Case Studies 2026

An Introduction to Labour Unions: Tabor union: An organisation of workers who join together to bargain with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions. Tabor unions have played a critical role in advancing workers’ rights in the United States since the 1700s, representing a broad range of industries. Although some unions like the NEA have lost members, they continue to advocate for workers. This article explains labor unions, including their definition, history, examples, and relevance today.

Labor unions are democratic, with officers elected by the members to represent their interests. The union uses dues paid by employees to lobby on their behalf.

Labor unions are generally industry-specific, particularly for government workers and those in transportation and utilities.

A national labor organization grants a charter to a local group of employees, establishing a local union within a larger national structure. Most U.S. labor unions are affiliated with two main federations: the Change to Win Federation (CtW) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The AFL-CIO was formed in 1955 from the merger of two organizations, while CtW separated from the AFL-CIO in 2005. Local unions operate under the guidance of national or international unions, which provide support, coordination, and representation at a higher level.

Nearly all unions share a similar structure. Typically, unions are organized at the local level by workers, who elect officers to lead. Locals are connected to national or international unions, which set broader policies and represent locals in larger forums. Under U.S. law, employers must bargain in good faith with unions. A negotiating unit, often a committee of elected union members, is formed to represent workers during negotiations with management. The union and employer engage in several rounds of negotiations to reach collective agreements.

At some point, the union and employer negotiate and sign a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This agreement outlines terms such as vacation and sick days, benefits, working hours, working conditions, and salary rates.

Once the CBA is signed, the employer cannot amend the agreement without the consent of a union representative. However, CBAs eventually expire, and the labour union and management must negotiate and sign a new agreement.

The National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest labor organization, represents about 3 million education workers.

Its members include public school and higher education teachers, support staff, administrators, retired educators, and prospective teachers.

The NEA works with educational institutions to set fair pay and working conditions for its members.

Labor unions have played a key role in improving factory conditions and ending child labor in the United States.

Labor unions have been around in the U.S. before there was a country. The first strike was in 1768, when New York journeyman tailors protested a salary cut. So the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers was founded at Philadelphia in 1794, and is recognized as the birthplace of trade union organization.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, labour unions generally excluded Black people, women, and immigrants; these groups formed their own unions. Union membership today is more diversified, with more women, Black and Latino workers, but Asian workers are still underrepresented.

The Wagner Act of 1935 gave the power to organize a union. It granted unionized workers the power to strike and to bargain collectively for working conditions. The act promoted collective bargaining, prohibited unfair employer methods, and provided for enforcement by a new independent agency, the National Labor Relations Board.

In recent years, legislation and court decisions have undermined unions’ ability to organize. Right-to-work laws, which outlaw contracts that require workers to join a labour union to obtain or keep a job, are now on the books in 27 states.

In a 2018 opinion, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the U.S. Supreme Court held that public employees cannot be required to pay dues to a union to support its collective-bargaining activities on their behalf.

In March 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The pro-union measure would overturn right-to-work laws and make it easier to organize unions. The proposal has been stuck in the Senate since September 2022, where the majority of Republicans have blocked the act and sent it to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Union membership peaked in the 1950s, when about a third of the U.S. labour force was covered. Since then, unions have been in gradual decline for a number of reasons , not the least of which is the loss of domestic manufacturing that provided many blue-collar jobs.

Treasury also linked the decline in union membership to growing income disparity between the middle class and top earners in a 2023 report.

Only approximately 10% of American workers are union members now. Jobs in government and public sectors, such as teaching, law enforcement, and firefighting, are the most likely to be unionized and account for over a third of union members.

Industries with relatively high rates of unionization include utilities, transportation and warehousing, educational services, and the entertainment industry.

Some business owners and think tanks support right-to-work laws, arguing that mandated union membership stifles free-market competition. Some labour union contracts, such as those of teacher and police unions, have been criticized for making it too difficult to terminate incompetent, or even aggressive, employees.

For example, a 2019 study of 656 police union contracts nationwide found that 73% included an appeals procedure in which arbitrators — appointed in part by the local police union — have the final say on officer firings and discipline. Consequently, numerous disciplinary decisions against abusive policemen have been overturned.

Some iSome in the labour movement have called for police unions to be thrown out for defending violent cops. In 2020, the AFL-CIO’s guidelines on police reform said the best way to solve police brutality is not to exclude police affiliates, but to engage them. Unions have also been involved in organized criminal behavior at times. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “As of 2020, the United States has obtained relief in 24 civil RICO cases involving labour organizations affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), the former Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HEREIU), and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).

Labor unions are also heavily involved in politics, financing candidates, lobbying for workplace safety, and the like. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling that blocked mandatory dues from public workers represented by unions reduced the groups’ ability to fund political action.

Labor has largely favorable relations with the Democratic Party and unions. And certain unions, including police unions, tend to support Republican politicians.

For years, the Republican Party has seen unions as a threat to freedom in the workplace and has opposed laws that would make it easier for unions to organize, such as the PRO Act.

Labor union negotiators meet with management negotiators to agree on wages, benefits, and working conditions for the workers they represent. The talks result in a contract, which must be ratified by the membership.

Labor unions might represent individual workers with grievances against their employers or employees facing termination or disciplinary proceedings on a day-to-day basis.

They aUnions also help enforce the contract between employees and employers. Rank-and-file members who hold office in the union typically handle this enforcement. Are Examples of Labor Unions?

Trade unions are organizations that represent workers engaged in a particular type of work. The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a union. Industrial unions are unions of workers in an industry, e.g., the National Education Association (NEA). NEA is the largest labour union in the nation.

In 2023, there were roughly 14.4 million union workers in the United States. That’s around 10 percent of the workforce.

Labor unions remain a vital force for workers, ensuring fair pay, safety, and rights through collective bargaining. Despite facing declining membership and legislative setbacks, unions continue to shape labor policy and fiercely defend worker interests. Their enduring influence and resilience underscore their essential role in the evolving workforce.