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union shop
noun
: an establishment in which the employer by agreement is free to hire nonmembers as well as members of the union but retains nonmembers on the payroll only on condition of their becoming members of the union within a specified time
Examples of union shop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The restaurant had always been a union shop but in 1999 Brody granted 49% of the ownership to its huge number of employees, who by 2012 owned it outright as a rare ESOP.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
The American flag on its boots is a selling point for consumers, and the union shop status appeals to the skilled trades.
—Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
None of those workers have successfully negotiated a contract with the corporate giant even though the chain’s first union shop was certified in Buffalo more than two years ago, said Tori Tambellini, a staff organizer for Starbucks Workers United, which operates with the support of Workers United.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024
Unlike the Minnesota town, the city was never overly dependent on one employer, and several union shops from the 1950s remain in business today.
—TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1834, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near union shop
Cite this Entry
“Union shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/union%20shop. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
union shop
noun
: a unionized business in which the employer by agreement is free to hire nonmembers as well as members of the union but union membership within a specified time (as 30 days) is a condition of continued employment compare agency shop, closed shop, open shop
Note: State law determines whether a collective bargaining agreement can have a clause creating a union shop. Many states having right-to-work laws bar union shop agreements.
More from Merriam-Webster on union shop
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about union shop
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