1.
[syn: union, labor union, trade union, trades union, brotherhood]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
trades union \trades" un`ion\, or Trade union \Trade" un`ion\ .
An organized combination among workmen for the purpose of
maintaining their rights, privileges, and interests with
respect to wages, hours of labor, customs, etc.
[1913 Webster] Trades-unionist
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
trades union
n 1: an organization of employees formed to bargain with the
employer; "you have to join the union in order to get a
job" [syn: union, labor union, trade union, trades
union, brotherhood]