Trade Unions

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Groups of workers who come together to achieve common goals of higher pay, better working conditions, and more benefits through collective bargaining with their employers.

Industrial Revolution: The period of technological advancements that initiated the transition from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing, leading to the formation of factories and the birth of the working class.
Industrialization: The process of modernizing an economy and transitioning from an agrarian-based economy to a manufacturing-based economy.
Division of Labor: The specialization of different workers to perform different tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
Piecework: A system of payment to workers based on the amount of work completed, rather than hourly wages.
Labor legislation: Laws which deals with the rights and duties of the workers, such as working hours, minimum wage, and the right to organize.
Craft Unions: A union of skilled workers in a particular trade or craft, such as carpentry or plumbing.
Industrial Unions: A union of workers representing multiple trades or crafts within a particular industry, such as automobile manufacturing or construction.
Collective bargaining: The process by which unions negotiate with employers for wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Blacklisting: A practice by employers to block workers who have engaged in unionizing activities from being hired in the future.
Strike: A work stoppage by employees to demonstrate their grievances to employers, often used as a bargaining tool in negotiations.
Union busting: The practice by employers to undermine or dismantle unions, often through the use of intimidation or violence.
Union Shop: A workplace in which workers must be members of a union in order to be employed.
Closed Shop: A workplace in which only union members can be employed.
Right-to-work laws: Legislation allowing workers to choose not to join a union or pay dues to a union in a unionized workplace.
Labor Movement: The collective efforts of workers and their representatives to improve the lives of workers and promote the welfare of the working class.
Craft Unions: These unions are made up of workers who share the same skills or trades. Members can be carpenters, plumbers, electricians, or other skilled laborers. These unions focus on the narrow interests of their members, such as wages, hours, and working conditions.
Industrial Unions: Industrial unions are made up of workers from various industries and trades. Members can work in factories, mines, or other industries. These unions focus on broader issues, such as workplace safety, worker's rights, and job security.
General Unions: General unions represent workers from various industries and job types. They focus on broader social and political issues, such as civil rights, environmental protection, and economic justice.
Public Sector Unions: These unions represent employees who work in government agencies, such as schools, hospitals, or public transportation. They focus on issues related to wages, benefits, and working conditions.
White-Collar Unions: These unions represent non-manual employees, such as office workers, professionals, and technical workers. They focus on issues such as pay, benefits, and job security.
Professional Unions: These unions represent workers in specific professions, such as lawyers, doctors, or engineers. They focus on issues related to professional standards, ethics, and certification.
Independent Unions: These unions are not affiliated with any national or international trade union organization. They operate autonomously, but may collaborate with other unions on specific issues.
Company Unions: These unions are created by employers to manage labor relations and to represent the interests of management. They are generally not recognized by independent labor organizations.
National Unions: These unions operate across multiple industries and trades, often at the national or international level. They focus on social justice, workers' rights, and economic democracy.
Radical Unions: These unions reject conventional union practices and focus on direct action, such as strikes, boycotts, and protests. They aspire to achieve radical social and economic change, often through revolutionary means.
"an organisation of workers intent on 'maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment'"
"through regularly imposed fees called union dues"
"appointed by members through internal democratic elections"
"bargains with the employer on behalf of its members"
"particular section of skilled or unskilled workers (craft unionism), a cross-section of workers from various trades (general unionism), or an attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry (industrial unionism)"
"The agreements negotiated by a union are binding on the rank-and-file members and the employer"
"Originating in Great Britain"
"individual workers, professionals, past workers, students, apprentices, or unemployed"
"the percentage of workers belonging to a trade union"
"attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees, and protecting and increasing the bargaining power of workers"
"Trade unions traditionally have a constitution which details the governance of their bargaining unit"
"negotiates labour contracts (collective bargaining agreements) with employers"
"A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English)"
"Trade unions became popular in many countries during the Industrial Revolution"
"organize a particular section of skilled or unskilled workers"
"attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry"
"binds them legally to their negotiations and functioning"
"maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment"
"improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures"
"highest in the Nordic countries"