Deck 10: Impacts of Unionization

Question 1

Which of the following is limited in unionized firms?

A) alternative staffing arrangements
B) total compensation programs
C) training and development
D) job evaluation

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following terms means "the ability of a group or union to express concerns"?

A) grievance
B) due process
C) collective voice
D) shock effect

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is a reason suggested by Koch and Hundley to explain why unionized organizations use a limited number of recruiting techniques?

A) collective agreements limit advertising
B) union jobs are attractive
C) unions cannot recruit
D) common law controls recruitment

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following explains why the presence of a union influences HRM practices in an organization?

A) The power of a group is greater than the power of an individual.
B) Common law does not protect individual rights.
C) The chilling effect reduces internal communication.
D) Unionized employees cannot exit the firm.

Question 5

Which of the following occurs when the increased costs and employee protection caused by unionization lead management to adopt stricter human resource practices?

A) shock effects
B) voice
C) chilling effect
D) union impact

Question 6

Shortly after being hired, many unionized employees can be discharged without the right to grieve their discharge. Which of the following makes this possible?

A) probation periods
B) residual rights
C) lack of seniority
D) recall rights

Question 7

Legally, the concept of recall does not exist under common law.

Question 8

Organizational commitment facilitates union commitment.

Question 9

Unionized workplaces are as likely to have gain-sharing plans as profit-sharing plans.

Question 10

On average, unionized firms are 10% to 20% less profitable than nonunionized firms.

Question 11

Some research indicates that unionized employees have better access to training at work. However, Canadian results show that more training may also be due to which of the following ?

A) education levels of workers
B) negotiation tactics
C) firm size
D) union density

Question 12

Union workplaces have more flexibility in staffing decisions than their nonunion counterparts.

Question 13

Since union commitment is very similar to union satisfaction, they are measured in the same way.

Question 14

Performance pay is common in unionized workplaces.

Question 15

Which of the following is the process by which employees on layoff can be rehired?

A) reinstatement
B) recall
C) call back
D) recruitment

Question 16

Which of the following staffing practices is an effect of unionization?

A) the use of informal internal recruitment techniques
B) a lack of probationary periods
C) the use of seniority in selection decisions
D) the use of less formal promotion criteria

Question 17

Overall, unionized workers have more access to training than nonunion workers do.

Question 18

Overall, unions have a negative effect on productivity.

Question 19

In general, union employees have higher levels of satisfaction with their supervisor than nonunion employees do.

Question 20

Exit-voice theory states that dissatisfied employees can do which of the following?

A) return to work after layoff
B) voluntarily quit the firm
C) go on strike
D) remain at work during strikes

Question 21

Indirect pay accounts for roughly what percentage of total payroll costs?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 40%

Question 22

Mark earns $9.00 per hour as a server in a coffee shop. If a person orders only a coffee, he is supposed to ask them if they would also like a doughnut. For every doughnut Mark sells in that way, he earns an extra 25 cents. What is the 25 cents per doughnut an example of?

A) base pay
B) total pay
C) performance pay
D) indirect pay

Question 23

What do Freeman and Medoff suggest is improved due to the shock effect?

A) firm efficiency
B) health and safety
C) staffing flexibility
D) innovation

Question 24

One on the most significant impacts of unions is their ability to raise wages above the levels paid to nonunionized workers. What is this an example of?

A) monopoly effect
B) spillover effect
C) union effect
D) threat effect

Question 25

Mark earns $9.00 per hour as a server in a coffee shop. If a person orders only a coffee, he is supposed to ask them if they would also like a doughnut. For every doughnut Mark sells in that way, he earns an extra 25 cents. What is the $9.00 he earns per hour an example of?

A) base pay
B) total pay
C) performance pay
D) indirect pay

Question 26

Unions work inside the workplace and in the public forum to promote improvements in which area of organization practices?

A) pay and benefits
B) appraisal and evaluation
C) health and safety
D) staffing and selection

Question 27

In a unionized firms, which job evaluation approaches is likely to be used?

A) ranking
B) point factor
C) job analysis
D) whole job comparison

Question 28

Research suggests that the union wage differential is larger for which of the following groups?

A) male employees
B) public-sector employees
C) highly skilled employees
D) employees in smaller firms

Question 29

Which of the following human resources practices is an effect of unionization?

A) HR practices are less formal.
B) HR practices focus more on individual rewards and recognition.
C) Management is more flexible about HR matters.
D) Many HR practices put more emphasis on seniority.

Question 30

Unions may have a negative effect on firm productivity due to which of the following?

A) Collective voice increases the number of employee complaints.
B) Formal grievance procedures are used to discuss workplace conflict.
C) The industry may have a history of union-management conflict.
D) Unions increase participative decision making.

Question 31

What is a firm hoping to accomplish when it responds to the threat effect by offering higher wages to clerical staff that those offered by other firms?

A) satisfied employees
B) effective cost management
C) raising the wage differential
D) avoidance of a union

Question 32

What do unions and employers have in common?

A) communication problems
B) formalized human resource practices
C) satisfied employees
D) high organization commitment

Question 33

Research suggests that, on average, union workers make more in base pay than non-union workers. How much more do they make?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 20%

Question 34

Almost 80% of unionized workers in Canada have a pension plan. This is example of which of the following?

A) base pay
B) total compensation
C) indirect pay
D) wage differential

Question 35

Unionized employees are more likely to have complex indirect benefits, such as pension plans, than nonunionized employees. What explains this?

A) Union members can rely on the union to deal with technical matters.
B) Union members remain in the union after retirement.
C) Unions guarantee a retirement wage.
D) Unionized health benefits are generally weak.

Question 36

A firm determines the overall value of a job using which of the following processes?

A) job analysis
B) job ranking
C) job comparison
D) job evaluation

Question 37

Under which of the following circumstances will unions usually support a performance appraisal program?

A) when pay increases because of appraisals
B) when the union can see the results ahead of time
C) when the appraisals are formal and structured
D) when the union has been involved in developing the program

Question 38

Overall, what does Canadian research evidence suggest regarding performance appraisals in unionized firms?

A) appraisals are more formal than those in nonunionized firms
B) appraisals are supported for development purposes
C) appraisals are seldom used for discipline purposes
D) appraisals are usually used for promotion purposes

Question 39

Which of the following is a reason why unionized firms have more benefits than nonunion firms?

A) Union workers are older and can afford better benefits.
B) Voice enables unionized workers to achieve such benefits.
C) Arbitration awards grant better benefits.
D) Union workers, by law, are required to receive such benefits.

Question 40

In an effort to reduce the likelihood of unionization, a nonunion pool pays lifeguards $10.00 per hour. The unionized pools pay $9.00 an hour. What is this an example of?

A) spillover effect
B) union effect
C) threat effect
D) chilling effect

Question 41

Compare and contrast the job satisfaction of union and non-union employees. In your answer, address wages, benefits, job security, supervisors/supervision, job content, and promotion opportunities.

Question 42

You are working in the HR department of a firm that has just unionized. Your boss, Jane, asks you to predict, based on research, the impact of unionization on employee satisfaction and intention to quit. What do you tell Jane?

Question 43

Which of the following is an employee's assessment of his or her overall job experience?

A) morale
B) job satisfaction
C) workplace commitment
D) worker perception

Question 44

When is union commitment more likely to be high?

A) when the member has limited contact with the union
B) when the member has high union satisfaction
C) when the member reads union publications
D) when the member has low organizational commitment

Question 45

Which of the following is an employee's assessment of his/her union experience?

A) union climate
B) intention to quit the union
C) union commitment
D) union satisfaction

Question 46

Name and briefly describe the three elements of total compensation.

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT among the things that can affect an employee's level of job satisfaction?

A) intention to quit
B) supervisor
C) job responsibilities
D) coworker relationships

Question 48

Why is the relationship between union wage premiums and economic performance countercyclical?

Question 49

What term is used for the idea that the success of a firm depends on its employees?

A) employee innovation index
B) employee commitment
C) employee satisfaction scale
D) employee value chain

Question 50

Your friend John owns a coffee shop that recently unionized. He asks you how unionization will affect the business's profitability, productivity, pay, and selection practices. Briefly outline your response to John.