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 Nevada, teachers' unions operate within the framework of state statutes that govern collective bargaining for public sector employees, including educators. While the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935 establishes the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining for private sector employees, it does not apply to public sector employees such as public school teachers. Instead, Nevada has its own set of laws that regulate the collective bargaining process for public employees. Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) specifically provide public school teachers the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining through their unions. These statutes outline the procedures for negotiations, dispute resolution, and other aspects of the employer-employee relationship in the public sector. Unlike some states that prohibit collective bargaining or strikes by public employees, Nevada allows such activities within the guidelines established by state law. However, there may be limitations and specific regulations regarding the right to strike for teachers, which would be detailed in the relevant state statutes and regulations.