In the United States, unions occasionally obtain a single seat on a company's board of directors, but significant board-level representation is mandated by law in Germany.

In Germany, significant board-level representation by unions is mandated by law through co-determination laws, which require that companies with more than 2,000 employees have at least one-third of their supervisory board seats filled by employee representatives, who often are appointed by unions. In the United States, union representation on boards of directors is not mandated by law, and it is uncommon for unions to have significant board-level representation. Some companies in the U.S. do give unions a single seat on their boards, but it is not required by law.