Editing Trade union (section)

==Structure and politics==
[[File:Cesar chavez2.jpg|thumb|[[Cesar Chavez]] speaking at a 1974 [[United Farm Workers]] rally in [[Delano, California]]. The UFW during Chavez's tenure was committed to restricting immigration.]]
Unions may organize a particular section of skilled workers ([[craft unionism]], traditionally found in [[Australia]], Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US<ref name="Poole, M. 1986"/>), a cross-section of workers from various trades ([[general union]]ism, traditionally found in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, the UK and the US), or attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry ([[industrial unionism]], found in Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US).{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} These unions are often divided into "[[Local union|locals]]", and united in national [[List of federations of trade unions|federations]]. These federations themselves will affiliate with [[International organization|International]]s, such as the [[International Trade Union Confederation]]. However, in [[Japan]], union organisation is slightly different due to the presence of enterprise unions, i.e. unions that are specific to a plant or company. These enterprise unions, however, join industry-wide federations which in turn are members of [[RENGO|Rengo]], the Japanese national trade union confederation.

In [[Western Europe]], [[professional association]]s often carry out the functions of a trade union. In these cases, they may be negotiating for white-collar or professional workers, such as physicians, engineers or teachers. In Sweden the white-collar unions have a strong position in collective bargaining where they cooperate with blue-colar unions in setting the "mark" (the industry norm) in negotiations with the employers' association in manufacturing industry.<ref>Kjellberg, Anders (2023) [https://portal.research.lu.se/sv/publications/trade-unions-in-sweden-still-high-union-density-but-widening-gaps "Trade unions in Sweden: still high union density, but widening gaps by social category and national origin"]. In Jeremy Waddington & Torsten Mueller & Kurt Vandaele (eds.) ''Trade unions in the European Union. Picking up the pieces of the neoliberal challenge''. Brussels: Peter Lang and Etui. Series: Travail et Société / Work and Society, Volume 86, 2023, chapter 28, pp. 1051–1092.</ref><ref>Kjellberg, Anders (2023) [https://lucris.lub.lu.se/ws/portalfiles/portal/141188161/The_Nordic_model_of_industrial_relations_comparing_Denmark_Finland_Norway_and_Sweden.pdf ''The Nordic Model of Industrial Relations: comparing Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden'']. Department of Sociology, Lund University and  Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne.</ref>

A union may acquire the status of a "[[juristic person]]" (an artificial legal entity), with a mandate to negotiate with employers for the workers it represents. In such cases, unions have certain legal rights, most importantly the right to engage in [[collective bargaining]] with the employer (or employers) over wages, working hours, and other [[employment contract|terms and conditions of employment]]. The inability of the parties to reach an agreement may lead to [[industrial action]], culminating in either [[strike action]] or management [[Lockout (industry)|lockout]], or binding arbitration. In extreme cases, violent or illegal activities may develop around these events.

[[File:Great Railway Strike 1886 - E St Louis.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886]] was a trade union strike involving more than 200,000 workers.<ref>"[http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/08/09/10-biggest-strikes-in-american-history/ The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223030/http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/08/09/10-biggest-strikes-in-american-history/ |date=2 December 2013 }}". Fox Business. 9 August 2011</ref>]]
In some regions, unions may face active repression, either by governments or by extralegal organizations, with many [[Anti-union violence|cases of violence]], some having lead to deaths, having been recorded historically.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr23/031/2005/en/ Amnesty International report 23 September 2005] – fear for safety of [[SINALTRAINAL]] member José Onofre Esquivel Luna</ref>

Unions may also engage in broader political or social struggle. [[Social Movement Unionism|Social Unionism]] encompasses many unions that use their organizational strength to advocate for social policies and legislation favourable to their members or to workers in general. As well, unions in some countries are closely aligned with [[political party|political parties]]. Many [[List of Labour parties|Labour parties]] were founded as the electoral arms of trade unions.
[[File:Stamp of Finland - 1957 - Colnect 46257 - 50 Years Trade Union.jpeg|thumb|right|In 1957, the [[Finnish Post Office]] issued a stamp in honor of the 50th anniversary of the [[Finnish Trade Union Federation|trade union activity in Finland]].]]
Unions are also delineated by the [[service model]] and the [[organizing model]]. The service model union focuses more on maintaining worker rights, providing services, and resolving disputes. Alternately, the organizing model typically involves full-time [[union organizer]]s, who work by building up confidence, strong networks, and leaders within the workforce; and confrontational campaigns involving large numbers of union members. Many unions are a blend of these two philosophies, and the definitions of the models themselves are still debated. [[Informal economy|Informal workers]] often face unique challenges when trying to participate in trade union movements as formal trade union organizations recognized by the state and employers may not accommodate for the employment categories common in the informal economy. Simultaneously, the lack of regular work locations and loopholes relating to [[false self-employment]] add barriers and costs for the trade unions when trying to organize the informal economy. This has been a significant threshold to labour organizing in [[Developing country|low-income countries]], where the labour force mostly works in the informal economy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schminke |first1=Tobias Gerhard |last2=Fridell |first2=Gavin |title=Trade Union Transformation and Informal Sector Organising in Uganda: The Prospects and Challenges for Promoting Labour-led Development |journal=Global Labour Movement |date=2021 |volume=12 |issue=2 |doi=10.15173/glj.v12i2.4394 |url=https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/globallabour/article/view/4394 |access-date=24 July 2024|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the perceived left-leaning nature of trade unions (and their historical close alignment with the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]) has resulted in the formation of a reactionary right-wing trade union called [[Solidarity (British trade union)|Solidarity]] which is supported by the far-right [[British National Party|BNP]]. In Denmark, there are some newer apolitical "discount" unions who offer a very basic level of services, as opposed to the dominating Danish pattern of extensive services and organizing.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.detfagligehus.dk/ |title = See the website of the Danish discount union "Det faglige Hus" |publisher = Danish}}</ref>
[[File:Unison strike rally Oxford 20060328.jpg|thumb|right|A rally of the trade union [[UNISON]] in [[Oxford]] during a strike on 28 March 2006]]
In contrast, in several European countries (e.g. Belgium, Denmark, the [[Netherlands]] and [[Switzerland]]), religious unions have existed for decades. These unions typically distanced themselves from some of the doctrines of orthodox [[Marxism]], such as the preference of atheism and from rhetoric suggesting that employees' interests always are in conflict with those of employers. Some of these Christian unions have had some ties to centrist or conservative political movements, and some do not regard strikes as acceptable political means for achieving employees' goals.<ref name="Poole, M. 1986"/> In [[Poland]], the biggest trade union [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] emerged as an [[anti-communism|anti-communist]] movement with [[religious nationalism|religious nationalist]] overtones<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marxist.com/revolt-polish-workers101001.htm|title=The economic and social processes that led to the revolt of the Polish workers in the early eighties|first=Professor Jacek Tittenbrun of Poznan University|last=Poland|website=www.marxist.com|date=18 July 2005 |access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> and today it supports the right-wing [[Law and Justice]] party.<ref>[http://news.money.pl/artykul/solidarnosc;popiera;kaczynskiego;jak;kiedys;walese,177,0,615857.html Solidarność popiera Kaczyńskiego jak kiedyś Wałęsę] at news.money.pl {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

Although their political structure and autonomy varies widely, union leaderships are usually formed through democratic [[election]]s.<ref>See E McGaughey, 'Democracy or Oligarchy? Models of Union Governance in the UK, Germany and US' (2017) [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2995297 ssrn.com]</ref> Some research, such as that conducted by the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acirrt.com/pubs/Trainingwagesupdate.pdf |title=Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training report |publisher=Acirrt.com |access-date=2011-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722154704/http://www.acirrt.com/pubs/Trainingwagesupdate.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref> argues that unionized workers enjoy better conditions and wages than those who are not unionized.

=== International unions ===
The oldest global trade union organizations include the [[World Federation of Trade Unions]] created in 1945.<ref>{{cite web |title=WFTU » History |date=21 January 2014 |url=http://www.wftucentral.org/history/ |access-date=2022-01-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> The largest trade union federation in the world is the [[Brussels]]-based [[International Trade Union Confederation]] (ITUC), created in 2006,<ref>{{cite web |title=International Trade Union Confederation |url=https://www.ituc-csi.org/ |access-date=2022-01-25 |website=www.ituc-csi.org |language=en}}</ref> which has approximately 309 affiliated organizations in 156 countries and territories, with a combined membership of 166&nbsp;million. National and regional trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups also form [[global union federation]]s, such as [[UNI Global Union|UNI Global]], [[IndustriALL Global Union|IndustriALL]], the [[International Transport Workers' Federation]], the [[International Federation of Journalists]], the International Arts and Entertainment Alliance and [[Public Services International]].