Legal Definitions - national union

A national union is a labor organization that operates throughout an entire country, representing workers in a specific industry, craft, or profession across multiple states or regions. It typically consists of numerous local chapters or affiliates that are governed by the national body, which sets overall policies, negotiates national contracts, and provides resources and support to its members nationwide.

• Imagine the National Educators' Association, which represents public school teachers, support staff, and faculty members in every state across the United States. This organization negotiates with national education bodies on issues like federal funding for schools, professional development standards, and nationwide benefits packages. Local chapters in individual school districts then address specific local concerns, but they operate under the umbrella and guidance of the national union.

  This illustrates a national union because it represents workers (educators) across the entire country, with local branches coordinating under a central national authority.

• Consider the United Pilots Federation, a union that represents commercial airline pilots employed by various airlines operating within the country. This union engages in collective bargaining with major airlines on behalf of all its pilot members, negotiating national contracts that cover wages, working conditions, retirement benefits, and safety protocols that apply uniformly across different airlines and pilot bases nationwide.

  This demonstrates a national union's role in representing a specific profession (airline pilots) across multiple employers throughout the nation, ensuring consistent standards and protections.

• Think of the American Auto Workers Union, which organizes employees in automobile manufacturing plants located in different states, from Michigan to California. This union negotiates master contracts with major car manufacturers that establish wages, health benefits, and job security provisions for all unionized auto workers across all participating factories nationwide, even though each factory might have its own local union leadership.

  This example highlights a national union's function in uniting workers within a specific industry (auto manufacturing) across various geographical locations to achieve common labor goals through national-level agreements.