Deck 5: The Union Perspective

Question 1

Three of the six biggest unions in Canada are public-sector unions.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The average increase in union membership in Canada between 2001 and 2009 was 12 percent.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Public-sector unions evolved in response to changes in labour legislation and an increase in public services.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A company union is an independent workers' organization whose members all work for a single employer.

Question 5

Globalization has increased the bargaining power of unions by allowing money to move more freely across borders.

Question 6

Men are more likely to want to join a union than women are.

Question 7

Canada's two largest unions are both private-sector unions.

Question 8

The Rand Formula requires all members of a bargaining unit to pay union dues, whether or not they choose to join the union.

Question 9

If unions want to keep the allegiance of their members, they must fulfill their primary function of providing distributive justice to their members.

Question 10

Provincial federations of labour are the main bodies pushing labour's issues on legislation and other policy areas with provincial governments.

Question 11

Canadian patterns of unionization are very similar to those in the United States, but on a smaller scale.

Question 12

The Canadian Trades and Labour Congress is the largest central labour body in Canada.

Question 13

The International Labour Organization is an agency of the United Nations that includes representatives from labour and management.

Question 14

The recent shift to a more individualistic employment relationship has affected union identity.

Question 15

Labour councils participate in many community organizations to promote and advance the economic, social, cultural and political interests of union members and the wider community.

Question 16

Blue-collar workers are more likely to join a union for economic reasons than for noneconomic ones.

Question 17

In Canada, a union is legally required to represent all individuals covered by a collective agreement, whether or not they have signed a union card.

Question 18

Local labour councils provide a critical link between labour and the broader community.

Question 19

Community attitudes toward unions affect a worker's desire (or lack of desire) to join a union.

Question 20

National labour bodies are particularly important in Canada because most labour legislation is federal.

Question 21

The International Labour Organization has established international labour standards to limit which of the following?

A) child labour
B) freedom of association
C) the right to strike
D) collective bargaining

Question 22

Who or what is responsible for the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work?

A) the UN
B) the CLC
C) the ILO
D) the AFL-CIO

Question 23

Americans have a more individualistic outlook on the world than Canadians, and are therefore less likely to support unions.

Question 24

Newfoundland has the highest union density in Canada.

Question 25

Women and young men have a higher than average likelihood of feeling positively toward unions.

Question 26

Which is the most important institutionalist objective for unions?

A) achieving the right to strike
B) macroeconomic redistribution of wealth
C) achieving industrial democracy
D) freedom of association

Question 27

Which of the following might influence the non-collective bargaining goals of a union?

A) founders' religious beliefs
B) labour laws
C) company union
D) human rights

Question 28

The public sector is more highly unionized in the United States than in Canada.

Question 29

In addition to economic gains from collective bargaining, industrial unions are primarily concerned with which of the following?

A) restricting entry into professions
B) licensing and regulation of competitors
C) training and educating members
D) broad social issues in their community

Question 30

According to the text, institutionalists saw two broad approaches to justify the existence of unions. What were they?

A) social justice and human rights
B) human rights and economics
C) politics and social justice
D) economics and politics

Question 31

What is the primary focus of business unionism?

A) promoting the economic welfare of the employer
B) running an effective and efficient organization
C) achieving economic gains through collective bargaining
D) ensuring the long-term security of a specific industry

Question 32

According to institutional economists, which mechanism improves the efficiency of markets?

A) unregulated trade
B) unions with bargaining rights
C) macroeconomic policy
D) wealth redistribution

Question 33

Why do craft unions often lack a strong social agenda?

A) This form of unionism arose before social responsibility was popular.
B) The complexity of many trades makes social activism impossible.
C) Their goals are tied to promoting opportunities that exist in a specific occupation.
D) They are prevented by law from joining political parties.

Question 34

People who are satisfied in their jobs, take pride in their work, and feel fairly paid will not join unions.

Question 35

Which of the following statements accurately describes industrial unions?

A) They were a response to assembly-line methods of production.
B) They tried to organize all production workers in an occupation.
C) They focused on collective bargaining instead of broad social issues.
D) They primarily organized office workers.

Question 36

Assembly-line production corresponds to which great wave of unionization in Canada?

A) craft
B) industrial
C) public sector
D) globalization

Question 37

Labour boards and arbitration processes are examples of which of the four key elements of industrial democracy?

A) employee voice in determining work rules
B) a written law of workplace rules
C) a binding procedure for the enforcement of written law
D) a balance of power between management and labour

Question 38

What two elements of the legal definition of unions are essential under Canada's labour relations laws?

A) labour organization that bargains collectively and supports the right to strike
B) labour organization that bargains collectively and is NOT dominated by the employer
C) labour organization that supports the right to strike and supports political action
D) labour organization that supports political action and is NOT dominated by the employer

Question 39

The Ontario Nurses' Association is an example of which of the following?

A) an employer-sponsored association
B) an industrial union
C) a national union
D) a craft union

Question 40

Which aspect of globalization has eroded the bargaining power of unions?

A) free movement of capital
B) international labour protections
C) rising education levels
D) continuing poverty

Question 41

Name four goals of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Question 42

List five distinct categories of unions, and provide one example of each.

Question 43

Which of the following is an important link between unions and the broader community?

A) Canadian Labour Congress
B) provincial labour federation
C) local labour council
D) New Democratic Party

Question 44

How does union security language in a collective agreement protect the union's survival?

A) It ensures that new employees believe in and support a union.
B) It replaces legislation.
C) It provides a guarantee of income to the union through dues.
D) It enhances union coverage.

Question 45

What are the three main categories of unions?

Question 46

Which of the following is an example of a social justice unionism goal that extends beyond the workplace?

A) organization of all workers in an industry
B) elimination of harassment and discrimination
C) organizational conservation
D) implementation of quality standards

Question 47

Which of the following entitlements is typical of an enterprise union?

A) Workers are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace.
B) Workers are entitled to a strong economic system.
C) Members of society are entitled to a strong economic system.
D) Members of society are entitled to a safe and sustainable environment.

Question 48

According to the text, why do workers join unions?

A) a collective voice best expresses their job satisfaction
B) a union represents an exciting, unfamiliar new venture
C) a union will bring economic gains in wages
D) it is a way to rescue a failing enterprise

Question 49

List five areas of public policy in which social unions have promoted members' interests beyond the workplace.

Question 50

What are three reasons for comparing union membership in Canada with the situation in the United States?

Question 51

What does "union coverage" measure?

A) all workers who are covered by a collective agreement
B) the percentage of all workers who are union members
C) union members as a percentage of the nonagricultural workforce
D) the percentage of union members who have a collective agreement

Question 52

Which factor best explains why unions have been more successful organizing in Canada than in the U.S.?

A) demographic differences
B) less powerful employers
C) variation in economic stability
D) differences in political systems

Question 53

The Canadian Auto Workers is an example of what type of union?

A) industrial
B) occupation
C) craft
D) social justice

Question 54

How has union density changed over the past thirty years in Canada?

Question 55

Which of the following best explains why independent unions have limited social and political objectives?

A) Company and local conditions are their priority.
B) They lack the financial power of large membership.
C) They are opposed to strike action.
D) They are nonpartisan organizations.

Question 56

List four issues that are important for unions to address when they try to organize women.

Question 57

Name four institutionalist objectives for unions' promotion of industrial democracy.

Question 58

List five reasons why a democratic structure is important for unions.

Question 59

List three forms of union security in Canada.

Question 60

Which of the following is beyond the scope of the democratic structure of unions?

A) Union members make decisions about collective bargaining.
B) Union members must show solidarity in collective bargaining.
C) Union members make decisions about political affiliation.
D) Union members set the union's policies.