INDUSTRIAL UNION: A labor union composed of workers in the same industry, often for several different firms, but no necessarily in the same occupation. Common examples of industrial unions represent workers in the automobile, steel, and textile industries. Industrial unions generally exert market control by establishing minimum wages paid to their members. The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) began as a collection of industrial unions. See also | labor union | craft union | minimum wage | collective bargaining | union shop | closed shop | open shop | Congress of Industrial Organizations |
