The legislation of individual subjects of the Russian Federation expands the possibilities of trade unions to represent the interests of employees. One of the ways to empower trade unions is to give them the right to legislative initiative. The rules for determining the trade unions that are given such opportunities differ significantly. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop common criteria for the participation of trade unions in regional rule-making. Given the equality of rights and opportunities for representatives of subjects of social partnership, it is desirable to grant this right to employers' associations along with trade unions.