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
Union can also generally refer to an association of workers, especially as part of a name. In present-day standard German, an organization that represents employees in dealings with employers is usually called a Gewerkschaft (trade union). For this specific function, Gewerkschaft is therefore the clear choice.
Die Gewerkschaft vertritt die Beschäftigten bei den Verhandlungen mit dem Arbeitgeber.
The trade union represents the employees in negotiations with the employer.
Die internationale Union vertritt Beschäftigte aus mehreren Ländern.
The international union represents employees from several countries.
