General union

This article is about the type of labor union. For the Spanish general, see Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union. For the Osaka based Japanese labor union, see General Union.

A General Union is a trade union (called labor union in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organization or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A general union differs from a union federation or trades council in that its members are individuals, not unions.

The creation of general unions, from the early nineteenth century in the United Kingdom and somewhat later elsewhere, occurred around the same time as efforts began to unionise workers in new industries, in particular those where employment could be irregular.

Proponents of general unions claim that their broader range of members allows more opportunities for solidarity action and better coordination in general strikes and the like. Detractors claim that the broader remit means they tend to be more bureaucratic and respond less effectively to events in a single industry.

In the United Kingdom, general unions include the GMB and the TGWU. In Australia a good example of a general union is the Australian Workers' Union.

Structure	Labour council Union organizer National trade union center Global union federation Union representative Clerk of the Chapel Father of the Chapel Local union Union dues Vigilance committee Union label Salt Trades Hall Duty of fair representation

Models	Organising model Service model Rank and File Social Movement Unionism Community unionism One Big Union Open-source unionism Business unionism Dual unionism Solidarity unionism

Types	Company union Independent union General union Professional association

Industrial relations

Shops and hiring	Closed shop Open shop Agency shop Union shop Hiring hall Bump Scope clause

Actions	Unfair list Strike action recognition secondary action Strike notice Occupation of factories Precarious work Precarity General strike Sitdown strike Slowdown Bossnapping Stay away Labor unrest Industrial unrest Grievance Occupation of factories Organizational dissent Overtime ban Industrial action Walkout Contingent work Contingent workforce Whipsaw strike Wildcat strike action Work-to-rule Green ban Picketing

Bargaining	Collective bargaining Collaborative bargaining Mutual gains bargaining Pattern bargaining Bargaining unit Union security agreement Master contract Enterprise bargaining agreement

Compensation	Strike pay Union wage premium Workers' compensation

Reactions

General union

See also