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 Kentucky, public school teachers have the right to form unions and engage in collective bargaining. The state does not prohibit public employees from collective bargaining, unlike some other states. However, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, which provides for the rights of workers to form unions, engage in collective bargaining, and strike, does not apply to public sector employees, including public school teachers. Instead, public school teachers in Kentucky are governed by state statutes that allow for collective bargaining. Kentucky does not have a statute that explicitly prohibits strikes by public school teachers, but such actions are generally discouraged and can lead to legal disputes. Teachers' unions in Kentucky play a significant role in negotiating contracts, salaries, benefits, and working conditions for educators, and they operate within the framework of state laws that govern public employment and labor relations.