union shop

noun

1. a shop, business establishment, or part thereof, in which terms and conditions of employment for all employees are fixed by agreement between the employer and a labor union.
2. a shop, business, etc., in which membership in a union is made a condition of employment, but in which the employer may hire nonunion workers provided that they become members after a stated period, usually 30 days.

union shop

noun

1. (formerly) an establishment whose employment policy is governed by a contract between employer and a trade union permitting the employment of nonunion labour only on the condition that such labour joins the union within a specified time period Compare open shop closed shop

union shop

1. A business or industry in which all new workers must join a labor union after a specified period of time. ( See closed shop and right-to-work laws .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of union shop¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

In recent months, discontent has bubbled beneath the surface in Local 50 and other union shops, with members accusing union leaders of failing to effectively represent their interests.

From Los Angeles Times

The transition to a union shop went smoothly at some theaters.

From Seattle Times

Even though much of the press portrayed it as "reaching out" to the members of the UAW, the car parts factory is not a union shop.

From Salon

Conversations no longer focused on his dad’s latest story, but on the duties he had to fulfill as a union shop steward.

From Los Angeles Times

A trade union shop steward in Glasgow's shipyards before he moved into football, Ferguson's final team talk concentrated on working-class values.

From BBC