A Business Labor Organization (labor union in America, trade union in England and Australia, either labour union or trade union in Canada) is a union formed by workers. Typically, a business labor organization will represent workers in a particular industry (industrial unionism) or craft (craft unionism), within all or part of a country. Unions are often divided into “locals” and united in national federations. Examples, depending on the country, could be all the assembly workers for one employer, all the teachers in a local school district, or all the workers in a particular industry.

In many countries, a union may acquire the status of a legal entity (called a “collective bargaining agent” in the USA) with a mandate to negotiate with employers to maintain and improve wages and working conditions for the workers it represents. In such cases, unions have certain legal rights, most importantly the right to negotiate collectively with an employer (or employers) over wages, working hours and other terms and conditions of employment — meaning that such things are not set unilaterally by management, but must be agreed upon by both parties. In many circumstances, unions do not have such rights and workers may typically threaten strikes or other collective action to pressure employers to negotiate.

Unions may also engage in broader political or social struggle; unions in some countries are closely aligned with political parties. Unions often use their organizational strength to advocate for social policies and legislation favorable to their members or to workers in general. Although the political structure and autonomy of a business labor organization vary widely from country to country, union leaderships are usually formed through elections.

Back to the top of Business Labor Organization.