How are Labor Union Organizations Structured?

Labor unions can be divided into three levels:

Local Unions

National or

Internation unions.

The business representative performs a critical role in contract negotiations, grievance proceedings, and managing union headquarters.

The union steward represents member interests and relations with a company.

National and International unions are collections of local unions, frequently in the same industry and having their own constitution and establishing rules.

The American Federal of Labor (AFL) organized union workers and later joined the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) to form the AFL-CIO, a larger and more powerful federation of labor unions that represents millions of workers.