organized labor | Definition, Movement, History, Examples, & Facts
Organized labour, also called trade unionism, association and activities of workers in a trade or industry for the purpose of obtaining or assuring improvements in working conditions through their collective action. British trade unionism has a long and continuous history. Medieval guilds, which regulated craft production, clearly differed in function from trade unions, in that guilds were combinations of both masters and workers while modern unions emerged to serve workers’ interests alone. However, aspects of guild regulation—as in matters relating to apprenticeship—were i...