# 15 U.S.C. § 17: Antitrust laws not applicable to labor organizations

> Federal · Statutes · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s17

## Section

- **Citation:** 15 U.S.C. § 17
- **Heading:** Antitrust laws not applicable to labor organizations
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Statutes
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** September 9, 2026
- **Source:** Publisher's official text
- **Location:** Title 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE > CHAPTER 1—MONOPOLIES AND COMBINATIONS IN RESTRAINT OF TRADE

## Text

The labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce. Nothing contained in the antitrust laws shall be construed to forbid the existence and operation of labor, agricultural, or horticultural organizations, instituted for the purposes of mutual help, and not having capital stock or conducted for profit, or to forbid or restrain individual members of such organizations from lawfully carrying out the legitimate objects thereof; nor shall such organizations, or the members thereof, be held or construed to be illegal combinations or conspiracies in restraint of trade, under the antitrust laws.

( Oct. 15, 1914, ch. 323, § 6 , 38 Stat. 731 .)

## Nearby sections

- [15 U.S.C. § 1 Trusts, etc., in restraint of trade illegal; penalty](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s1.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 15 Suits by persons injured](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s15.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 15c Actions by State attorneys general](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s15c.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 15g Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s15g.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 17 Antitrust laws not applicable to labor organizations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s17.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 20 Repealed. Pub. L. 101–588, § 3 , Nov. 16, 1990 , 104 Stat. 2880](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s20.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 24 Liability of directors and agents of corporation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s24.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 25 Restraining violations; procedure](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s25.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 29 Appeals](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s29.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 34 Definitions applicable to sections 34 to 36](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s34.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 35 Recovery of damages, etc., for antitrust violations from any local government, or official or employee thereof acting in an official capacity](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s35.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 37a Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s37a.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 78bb Effect on existing law](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s78bb.md)
- [15 U.S.C. § 78c–2 Securities-related derivatives](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s78c%E2%80%932.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/usc_t15_s17. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.