New Unionism is a term which has been used twice in the history of the labour movement, both times involving moves to broaden the union agenda.

First was the development within the British trade union movement in the late 1880s. The New Unions differed from the older craft unions in several respects. A trade union or labor union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Craft unionism, or sometimes trade unionism, is a labor union organizing method by which labor unions are divided along the lines of workers specific trades, regardless of what industry they work in. ...

• They were generally less exclusive than craft unions and attempted to recruit a wide range of workers. To encourage more workers to join, the New Unions kept their entrance fees and contributions at a relatively low level. Some new unions, such as the Dockers' Union and the Gasworkers developed in the direction of general unionism.
• They recruited unskilled and semi-skilled workers, such as dockers, seamen, gasworkers and general labourers.
• At the outset, the New Unions were associated with militancy and willingness to take industrial action, unlike the more conciliatory craft unions. A notable strike associated with the New Unions was the London Dock Strike of 1889.
• Many of the New Unions had leaders who espoused socialist ideas. Such leaders included Tom Mann, Ben Tillett, Will Thorne and John Burns.

In recent decades the traditional view of the New Unions as militant, fighting unions informed by a socialist politics has been modified. Although the New Unions sponsored many large strikes in their early years, most in fact favoured conciliation and accommodation with the employers. Similarly, although New Union leaders espoused socialism it was often of a moderate kind. The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers Union (1889-1922) was a British trade union. ... The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom, and has more than 700,000 members. ... A general union is a trade union (labor union in U.S. English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. ... Strike action (or simply strike) describes collective action undertaken by groups of workers in the form of a refusal to perform work. ... The London Dock Strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Tom Mann (15 April 1856 - 13 March 1941) was a noted British trade unionist. ... Ben Tillet (September 11, 1860 - January 27, 1943) was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. ... Will Thorne CBE (1857-1946) was a British trade unionist, activist and one of the first Labour Members of Parliament. ... John Burns (20 October 1858-24 January 1943) was a prominent English trade unionist, anti-racist, socialist and politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly associated with London politics. ...

The most prominent New Unions were:

• Dockers' Union
• National Union of Dock Labourers
• Gasworkers Union
• National Sailors' and Firemen's Union

The second time the term New Unionism was used covers a period from the late 1980s until the present day. In 1989 US labour relations academic Charles Heckscher published "The New Unionism: Employee Involvement in the Changing Corporation" (Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 42, No. 3 Apr., 1989, pp. 463-465), and this became one of a series of influential papers which encouraged the union movement to reconsider questions of industrial democracy. The UK Trades Union Congress ran an ambitious New Unionism project from 1997 to 2003, seeking to apply a dual strategy of organizing and partnership in an attempt to reinvigorate the union movement. This period saw an end to the decline in union membership, but the net effect is still subject to debate within the movement. See http://www.tuc.org.uk/newunionism/ The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers Union (1889-1922) was a British trade union. ... The National Union of Dock Labourers was a trade union in the United Kingdom. ... The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom, and has more than 700,000 members. ... The National Union of Seamen was the principal trade union of merchant seafarers in Great Britain from 1888/1889 to 1990. ...

More recently unions such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in North America and the Public Services Association (PSA) in New Zealand have combined innovative organizing and partnership combinations with notable success, leading to large and sustained membership gains (about 50% in each case) and increased influence and activism at workplace level.

An international New Unionism network was launched in 2007 to bring unionists and labour supporters together around developing and applying these principles. The network provides fora and other resources for those interested in implementing the agenda. See http://www.newunionism.net