Open shop is a business that employs both union and nonunion workers. It is the opposite of a closed shop, where only union members may be employed. In one use of the term, a union may represent the workers in an open shop if a majority of them belong to the union. But no one must be required to belong to the union in order to be hired. The term may also refer to a company in which the employer does not deal with a union. See also Closed shop .
