美国的工会受法律认可为代表劳工利益的组织。工会行使集体协商权，为会员谈判劳动条件、工资、福利；并监督、纠正雇主违法或违背劳动契约的管理行为，必要时以争议行为作为谈判筹码。较大的工会还会透过政治游说或竞选，影响美国联邦政府及各州政治人物的决策。
大多数美国的工会都是两个大型工会联盟的会员工会，分别是1955年成立的美国劳工联合会-产业工会联合会（AFL-CIO），与2005年自AFL-CIO分家的变革谋胜工会联合会。两者都主张自己代表美国和加拿大劳工的政治利益，积极从事政治游说工作。其中，AFL-CIO特别关注全球贸易议题。
1983年时，美国的工会共有1,770万名会员，工会组织率为20.1%；然而2013年却仅剩1,450万名会员，工会组织率仅有10.8%[1] 民营事业单位的工会组织率甚至仅有7%[2]，创下1932年来的最低纪录。与其它国家相比，2013年时法国的工会组织率为7.7%、德国为18.1%、加拿大为27.1%，冰岛更以85.5%的工会组织率冠居全球。[3]以统计数字而言，美国劳工参与工会的比例显著偏低。美国的工会组织率与虽大幅滑落，但仍能透过群众动员或跨领域结盟（例如与移民权益、贸易政策、健康照顾与维生工资等议题团体合作），对美国政治有一定程度的影响力。其中，美国的工会尤其关注各级政府因预算缩减，产生劳工退休金减少或延迟给付等问题。[4] 如有茶党背景的共和党籍威斯康辛州州长斯考特·沃克就曾透过删减预算限制公部门工会的集体协商权。
21世纪的美国工会运动以公部门受雇者，如公务员、教师、消防员、警察、清洁队员等劳工为主力。此外，工会会员不成比例地以年长、男性劳工居多，且以美国东北部、中西部及加州劳工为主。[5] 整体而言，一个美国工会若能掌握工作和劳动市场特性，平均而言能让工会会员比非会员多10－30%工资[6]；而在工会组织率较高的州，其劳工比其它州份的劳工有较高的收入和生活水准。国际货币基金组织则进一步将美国的收入差距问题，归因于美国整体的劳工运动与工会组织率衰退所致。[7][7][8][9][10]
19世纪中叶，工业革命对人类经济、社会带来巨大变革，劳资关系逐渐受到社会瞩目，工会也随之诞生。美国早期的工会诞生于南北战争之后，1880年代的劳动骑士团是美国最具影响力的劳工团体，但因组织松散、缺乏有效领导中心和组织目标不一致等因素，并受到资方和政府联手打压而解散。
1886年，龚帕斯创立美国劳工联合会，创立时仍是不同职种的地方工会组成的松散团体，透过协调、支持劳工罢工发展茁壮，如今已是美国最具影响力的工会团体。
1930年代，美国第32任总统富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福推行新政，其中《华格纳法案》保障工会的组织权利，促使美国劳工扩大团结、提升组织率。因此，美国的工会在政治上多倾向民主党，在罗斯福时期更加入新政联盟，支持罗斯福胜选连任。
1946年，亲商的保守派政治人物在选举中大胜，美国国会在1947年通过共和党籍参议员罗伯特·A·塔夫脱起草的《塔夫特-哈特莱法案》。该法案不只受到共和党人支持，连多数民主党人也赞成该法案；即使时任美国第33任总统的哈瑞·杜鲁门动用否决权，仍遭跨党派议员组成的保守联盟推翻。[11]《塔夫特-哈特莱法案》禁止工会向候选人提供政治献金、以“危害国家安全”之名提高工会发动罢工的门槛，并强迫工会除名有共产主义倾向的干部（后美国最高法院裁定该条款违宪，不再适用）；因而遭到美国工运圈强力抵制，但仍无力回天。国会在1959年通过《劳资关系报告法》，要求美国各级工会需向美国劳工部缴交年度报告，以限制有犯罪前科者担任工会管理职务，从而加强联邦政府对国际卡车司机工会等工会的行政控制。[12][13]
美国的工会组织率在1954年达到高峰，为35%；而工会会员人数则以1979年最多，达2,100万人。其后人数因民营部门工会组织不易逐年下滑。
- Labor federation competition in the United States
- Union affiliation by U.S. state
- Public-sector trade unions in the United States
历史
- 美国劳动史
- 美国工会时间轴
- 工业关系委员会
- 因劳资争议而去世的美国劳工列表
国际
Politics that Work (April 3, 2015).
Doree Armstrong (February 12, 2014).
Keith Naughton, Lynn Doan and Jeffrey Green (February 20, 2015).
Michael Hiltzik (March 25, 2015).
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