trade union
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trade union
An organization of employees that represents their economic and social interests toward employers, especially in negotiations about wages and working conditions.
Die Gewerkschaft verhandelt mit den Arbeitgebern über einen neuen Tarifvertrag.
The trade union is negotiating with the employers about a new collective agreement.
The word is composed of 'Gewerk' (an old word for craft or work) and the suffix '-schaft'. The suffix '-schaft' refers to a community, so a Gewerkschaft is literally a 'community of workers'.
Die Belegschaft des Unternehmens hat eine starke Vertretung.
The company's workforce has strong representation.
To express membership in a trade union, you typically use the verbs 'eintreten' (to join, to become a member) or 'organisiert sein' (to be organized, to describe the state of membership).
Fast alle Piloten der Fluggesellschaft sind in der Gewerkschaft organisiert.
Almost all of the airline's pilots are organized in the trade union.
Trade unions are often used as active agents in a sentence. Typical verbs describing their actions are 'fordern' (to demand), 'verhandeln' (to negotiate), or 'zum Streik aufrufen' (to call a strike).
Die Gewerkschaft fordert eine Lohnerhöhung von fünf Prozent.
The trade union is demanding a five percent wage increase.
union
'die Union' can generally mean an alliance, association, or organization, and 'die Gewerkschaft' is also a kind of organization. So there is a small overlap. But the difference is important: 'die Gewerkschaft' specifically means an organization of employees that fights for wages and working conditions. 'die Union' is much more general and in German is usually used for political or other larger associations. Learners may confuse the words because 'Union' can sometimes sound like a general association. When it is about employees' rights, 'Gewerkschaft' is the precise and natural word.
Julian ist in der Gewerkschaft, weil er bessere Arbeitsbedingungen unterstützen möchte.
Julian is in the trade union because he wants to support better working conditions.
Die Union verschiedener kleiner Gruppen machte das Projekt stärker.
The union of various small groups made the project stronger.