A teachers’ union is a labor union (an organized group of employees) that represents teachers or educators in contract negotiations (for salaries, tenure, paid time off, and other terms of employment) with schools or school districts. Teachers’ unions are said to engage in collective bargaining—bargaining or negotiating on behalf of all teachers—rather than individual teachers negotiating their own employment terms.

The rights of workers to form unions, strike, bargain collectively, and engage in other work-related activities are provided by the federal statute known as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (NLRA). The NLRA also prohibits unions from trying to force workers to join a union and prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who exercise their union rights.

The NLRA supersedes many state laws but it does not apply to employees in the public sector—including public school teachers. Some states have laws that prohibit collective bargaining for public employees (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia) and many states have laws that make it illegal for public employees to strike.

In Arizona, teachers' unions operate within the framework of state statutes rather than the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which does not apply to public sector employees, including public school teachers. Arizona does not prohibit collective bargaining for public employees, and teachers' unions can engage in collective bargaining with school districts on behalf of their members. However, Arizona law does restrict the ability of public employees to strike. Specifically, Arizona Revised Statutes § 23-1321 prohibits strikes by public employees, which includes teachers. This means that while teachers' unions can negotiate terms of employment such as salaries, benefits, and working conditions, they are limited in their ability to use strikes as a bargaining tool. It's important for teachers and unions to be aware of these state-specific regulations when engaging in union activities and negotiations.