labor movement
18
3.6
- noun
- /ˈleɪbər ˈmuːvmənt/
- US
:
movimiento obrero
- The labor movement has been crucial in advocating for workers' rights and fair wages.
- unions and the labor movement
- a powerful labor movement
- American labor movement
Well, I mean, I, I'm looked upon as a bit of a museum piece in the, in the labour movement now.
- Well, I mean, I, I'm looked upon as a bit of a museum piece in the, in the labour movement now.
- So it's a case in which, you know, the the goals and means of the labor movement seem to lead to an adverse outcome instead of a good outcome.
- Do you feel that the labor movement in general is has been righting some of those wrongs of the past?
Examples
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Together, the American labor movement will never be vanquished.
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The successful resolution to that conflict gave impetus to the labor movement.
Academic text (1990) -
I want to see a labor movement take root.
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Industry and labor and the labor movement, how it gets celebrated or not.
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Think of the billions that the labor movement has spent over the years on the Democratic Party.
Blog text (29) -
I have long had respect for the labor movement and its accomplishments.
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However, achievement of that goal required legislation to strengthen unions, a key demand of the labor movement.
Academic text (1992) -
The previous decade had seen a bitter struggle between raw industrial capitalism and the rising labor movement.
Academic text (2008) -
The driving force behind social welfare policy initiation and innovation in Australia has traditionally been its labor movement.
Academic text (1991) -
Moreover, it could re-ignite the American labor movement at a time of global unrest.
Blog text (7)
Synonyms
20
3.3
Workers who belong to unions that represent them in talks with employers
1
2.7
An organized effort by workers to improve pay and working conditions
How Organized
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents—'labor' (workers) and 'movement' (a collective campaign or organized group)—combine in a straightforward, compositional way to mean organized collective action by workers or the organizations leading it. This noun–noun compound maps onto the same logic in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Labor movement comes from the simple image of labor, meaning work, and movement, meaning people moving together in marches and meetings to demand change. So the phrase now means a group effort by 'workers' and 'unions' to win better pay, shorter hours, and 'rights'.