Trade Unions are organizations which (in theory) represent the interests of workers as opposed to bosses.
History
Trade unions are seen by some as the successor to the guilds of medieval Europe, although this is disputed. Trade unions first emerged in the late 1700s in Northwest Europe (notably Britain) with the rise of the industrial revolution and capitalism.
Philosophical Debates
Industrial vs Craft Unionism
Electoralism
Criticism
Workerism
Trade unions have been accused by some as workerist, being unable to account for people who do not work (ie the unemployed, homemakers, children, teenagers, students, the elderly, the disabled and prisoners, who make up around 40% of the population of most western countries).