A workplace in which not all employees are required to join the union as a condition of employment, and those who don t must pay the union a service fee, generally costing less than dues.
Agency shop is most common in the public sector.
A worksite in which union membership is not required as a condition of employment. A worker in an open shop who does not join the union, even though he or she is enjoying the same negotiated wages and benefits as the member who pays dues to finance the union s work. A workplace in which the contract calls for all employees to be members of the union.