Unions exist to represent the interests of workers, who form the membership. Under

US labor law United States labor law sets the rights and duties for employees, labor unions, and employers in the US. Labor law's basic aim is to remedy the " inequality of bargaining power" between employees and employers, especially employers "organized in ...

, the

National Labor Relations Act 1935 The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, an ...

is the primary statute which gives US unions rights. The rights of members are governed by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act 1959. List Below

Largest unions

AFL-CIO

Strategic Organizing Center

International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a diverse members ...

Graphic Communications Conference The Graphic Communications Conference (GCC) is an International Brotherhood of Teamsters–affiliated union which represents more than 60,000 workers in all craft and skill areas in the printing and publishing industry. Composition According to ...

Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE; later the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, BMWED) is a national union representing the workers who build and maintain the tr ...

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is a trade union, labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan, on 8 May 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. It was the first permanent trade organization for railroad workers in the ...

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing 2 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of m ...

Workers United Workers United is an American and Canadian labor union which represents about 86,000 workers in the apparel, textile, commercial laundry, distribution, food service, hospitality, fitness and non-profit industries.Greenhouse, Steve"Union Rejoinin ...

** Colorado Workers for Innovations and New Solutions (WINS) *

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the National Farm Workers Associatio ...

of America

Independent

;National * Adult Performance Artists Guild *

Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) is an independent craft union representing aircraft maintenance technicians and related employees (ground equipment technicians, maintenance controllers, plant maintenance technicians, facilit ...

Allied Pilots Association The Allied Pilots Association (APA) is the labor union representing American Airlines pilots. APA was founded in 1963 by a group of American Airlines pilots who broke away from the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The five founding pilots of A ...

Association of Professional Flight Attendants The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) is a labor union which was founded in 1977 and represents over 28,000 flight attendants at American Airlines. In 2003, APFA played a major role in keeping American Airlines solvent and out ...

Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) is a labor union in the western United States that was affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers disaff ...

Campaign Workers Guild Campaign Workers Guild (CWG) is an independent American labor union. CWG represents workers on political campaigns, state parties, political consulting firms, non-profits, and other workplaces. The union advocates for higher wages, more reasonable ...

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

Fraternal Order of Police The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodge ...

Independent Pilots Association The Independent Pilots Association (IPA) is the union representing the collective bargaining interests of over 3000 airline pilots employed by United Parcel Service (UPS). The organization was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Louisville, Ke ...

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

International Longshore and Warehouse Union The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is a labor union which primarily represents dock workers on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii, and in British Columbia, Canada; on the East Coast, the dominant union is the Intern ...

* International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades ** Home Healthcare Workers of America ** National Organization of Industrial Trade Unions ** United Public Service Employees Union ** United Service Workers Union *

Jockeys' Guild The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys. The organization filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in ban ...

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...

Major League Baseball Umpires Association The Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) is an organization of Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires. It was certified by the National Labor Relations Board on February 24, 2000, as the World Umpires Association (WUA) as a bargaining a ...

National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees The National Alliance Of Postal and Federal Employees (NAPFE) is a labor union in the United States. The union was founded on October 6, 1913 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It initially represented African-American workers for the railway mail ser ...

National Basketball Coaches Association The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) is an American organization and union that represents coaches in the National Basketball Association. It was founded in 1976 and consists of all NBA head coaches, assistant coaches and alumni. Th ...

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

National Emergency Medical Services Association The National Emergency Medical Services Association (NEMSA or National EMS Association) is now defunct, but was a registered labor union and California non-profit mutual benefit corporation. NEMSA's membership consisted of emergency medical tech ...

National Hockey League Players' Association The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA, ) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey ...

National Rural Letter Carriers' Association The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) is an American labor union that represents the rural letter carriers of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The NRLCA negotiates all labor agreements for the rural carrier craft with the ...

National Treasury Employees Union The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) is an independent labor union representing 150,000 employees of 35 departments and agencies of the United States Government. The union specializes in representation of non-supervisory federal employees ...

National Weather Service Employees Organization National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

National Women's Soccer League Players Association The National Women's Soccer League Players Association (often known as NWSL Players Association or NWSLPA) is the officially recognized union of players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). History The NWSLPA was formed in May 2017 un ...

National Writers Union National Writers Union (NWU) is a trade union in the United States for freelance and contract writers founded on 19 November 1981. NWU is affiliated with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Authors Forum (IAF), a ...

* Premier Hockey Federation Players' Association *

Professional Lacrosse Players' Association The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL ranks third in avera ...

* Southwest Airlines' Pilots Association *

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), is an independent national labor union established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographe ...

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, often simply the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United State ...

United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), is an independent democratic rank-and-file labor union representing workers in both the private and public sectors across the United States. UE was one of the first unions to be ch ...

* United Independent Technology Technicians of America * United Nurses and Allied Professionals *

United States Rugby Players Association The United States Rugby Players Association, also referred to as the USRPA, is the union of professional Major League Rugby players. United States Rugby Players Association is a member of International Rugby Players Association (IRPA). Referenc ...

U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association The U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) is the players union for the members of the United States men's national soccer team. Though the organization has existed since 1996, they rose to prominence within American soccer in ...

U.S. Women's National Team Players Association The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) is a labor union representing the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT). The organization's primary mission is to protect the rights of the USWNT and to safeguard the econo ...

Writers Guild of America West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 me ...

;State and Local * Alameda County Management Employees' Association *

Boston Police Patrolmen's Association The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA) is the largest of the police unions representing police officers in the Boston Police Department. As of 2020, it represents approximately 1,500 officers. The BPPA also respresents Boston Emergenc ...

Dallas Police Association The Dallas Police Association is the largest and oldest police union for sworn members of the Dallas Police Force in Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metrop ...

Florida Police Benevolent Association The Florida Police Benevolent Association is a state-wide police union established in 1972, with a reported total membership of over 36,000. The union is "politically proactive", engaged in labor negotiations, advocacy, legal defense, and politica ...

* Los Angeles ** Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs **

Los Angeles Police Protective League The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) is the Police unions in the United States, police union representing Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers up to the rank of lieutenant. LAPPL has a membership of 9,900 sworn officers. Th ...

** Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Association ** United Firefighters of Los Angeles City * New York City **

Detectives' Endowment Association The Detectives Endowment Association of the City of New York is one of three major Police unions in the United States, police unions representing police officers of the New York City Police Department. The other two being the Police Benevolent Ass ...

** Lieutenants Benevolent Association **

Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) is the largest police union representing police officers of the New York City Police Department. It represents about 24,000 of the department's 36,000 officers. The PBA was orig ...

Sergeants Benevolent Association The Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) is an American Police unions in the United States, police union that represents the Sergeant#Police departments and prisons, sergeants of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), while the department ...

San Francisco Police Officers Association The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) is the largest police union representing the San Francisco Police Department, with around 2,200 members as of 2016. It was founded in 1946 and by the late 1980s had around 1,750 members, amoun ...

State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Professional sports labor unions

Union Reform Groups

Labor Notes ''Labor Notes'' is a trade magazine supporting collective bargining in the United States. It is part of the Labor Education and Research Project, an American non-profit organization and network for rank-and-file union members and grassroots ...

Teamsters for a Democratic Union Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) is a grassroots rank and file organization whose goal is to reform the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), or Teamsters Union. The organization has chapters nationwide in the United States and Canada ...

Notes

{{Change to Win Federation United States labor law

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...