In states within the United States (pick Arizona for example), what is a labor union? I'm not looking for the "organization that represents employees" answer. I'm looking for the legal definition of what a union is. Is it a corporation? Can it be an LLC? Can it be a sole proprietor? Is it a business (corporation/LLC/sole proprietor) that has a tax status?
Other than rounding up employees to vote on union representation, how are unions created? Is it simply filing a corporation (in Arizona, Corporation Commission) articles of incorporation, getting an EIN from the IRS, getting a bank account, signing CBA contracts, and taking parties to court/arbitration? Can a union make money other than member dues? Can a union own/operate a school? Do unions have to behave a certain way?
That goes into the next question, what can and can't unions do? Are there ways around not being able to do something as a union by simply not technically falling under a statutory definition of a "union"?
For example, a charity doesn't necessarily need to be a 501-c-3 (tax designation) organization. It could just be a plain corporation that simply chooses to do charitable work, regardless of tax designation.
Can a union be the same? A corporation or a sole proprietor just simply act like a union without any special government designation?
