Deck 11: Managing Labor Relations

Question 1

Once a bargaining unit has been determined, what is the next step in the unionization process?

A) Having to get 30 percent of eligible workers to sign authorization cards
B) Conducting a secret ballot election
C) Petitioning the NLRB to hold an election
D) Instituting grievance procedures for dispute resolution
E) Collective bargaining over a labor contract

Answer 1

A

Question 2

____ is the process by which managers and union representatives negotiate the terms and conditions of employment.

A) Benchmarking
B) Total quality management
C) Negotiated contracting
D) Management by objectives
E) Collective bargaining

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (a union representing truck drivers and others) collectively bargains with Univar, the largest distributor of chemical products in the United States. Prior to collective bargaining, who should have the responsibility of examining the financial condition of Univar?

A) Univar
B) The Teamsters' leadership
C) Truck drivers who are members of the Teamsters
D) Both Univar and the Teamsters' leadership
E) Univar, the Teamsters' leadership, and truck drivers who are members of the Teamsters

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is the MOST accurate statement?

A) Union-management relations are more hostile today than they were in the past.
B) Unions are more powerful today than in the past, compared to the power of employers.
C) Unions today rarely struggle with traditional, basic issues, such as wages.
D) As unions have become smaller, their power has diminished.
E) Employers today are controlled almost completely by powerful unions, due to increased regulation of business.

Question 5

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 outlawed

A) union membership.
B) collective bargaining.
C) union shops.
D) union stewards.
E) union negotiations of working conditions.

Question 6

The process of dealing with individuals in a company who are represented by a union is called:

A) labor relations.
B) benchmarking.
C) total quality management.
D) management by objectives.
E) negotiated contracting.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a mandatory subject of collective bargaining?

A) Wages
B) No-strike clauses
C) Pension benefits
D) Health benefits
E) Working hours

Question 8

The American Federation of Labor focused on what types of work?

A) Blue-collar jobs
B) Craft-based jobs
C) Professional-level jobs
D) Secretarial jobs
E) White-collar jobs

Question 9

Which of the following issues are receiving more attention from unions in recent years?

A) Wages and hours
B) Health benefits
C) Pension benefits and job security
D) Union membership
E) New labor legislation

Question 10

The earliest unions to be developed in the United States represented specific types of workers and were known as

A) professional networks.
B) job societies.
C) worker permit groups.
D) trade associations.
E) craft unions.

Question 11

Which of the following is the term given to items such as wages, working hours, and benefits?

A) Mandatory items
B) Permissive items
C) Negotiated items
D) Price-point items
E) Strike items

Question 12

Which of the following acts required labor unions to bargain with management in good faith?

A) Taft-Hartley Act
B) Wagner Act
C) Landrum-Griffin Act
D) Sherman Act
E) Union Shop Act

Question 13

Which of the following acts required management to bargain with labor unions in good faith?

A) Taft-Hartley Act
B) Wagner Act
C) Landrum-Griffin Act
D) Sherman Act
E) Union Shop Act

Question 14

In negotiating a labor agreement, the union has decided that a pay raise of $1 per hour for every employee is the minimum they will accept. If they are offered less than that, they will strike. This amount is called the

A) union resistance point.
B) management resistance point.
C) union target point.
D) management target point.
E) midpoint.

Question 15

The Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 requires national labor unions to elect new leaders every ____ years.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) ten
E) fifteen

Question 16

Which of the following tactics is illegal?

A) Picketing
B) Boycotts
C) Economic strikes
D) Lockouts
E) All of these

Question 17

Overall, union membership since 1955 has been

A) holding steady.
B) increasing greatly.
C) constant.
D) erratic.
E) decreasing at an alarming rate.

Question 18

Which of the following is necessary in order for decertification to occur?

A) The union must have served as the collective bargaining agent for the employees for at least one year.
B) No labor contract can currently be in force.
C) A majority of the members of the bargaining unit must vote for decertification.
D) All of these.
E) Both the union must have served as the collective bargaining agent for the employees for at least one year and no labor contract can currently be in force.

Question 19

One difference between mediation and arbitration is that

A) arbitration occurs in a court of law; mediation does not.
B) arbitration is compulsory; mediation is not.
C) the recommendation of the arbitrator is binding; the recommendation of the mediator is not.
D) mediation is compulsory; arbitration is not.
E) the recommendation of the mediator is binding; the recommendation of the arbitrator is not.

Question 20

The first major union to have a significant impact in the United States was called the

A) American Federation of Labor.
B) Knights of Labor.
C) Congress of Industrial Organizations.
D) Captains of Workers.
E) Labor Club Organization.

Question 21

A(n) ____ shop agreement requires a firm to hire individuals who are already union members.

A) arbitration
B) mediation
C) strike
D) closed
E) union

Question 22

Scenario 11.1
Multinational, Inc. has recently closed a number of plants in the United States and is planning to move the work of those plants to facilities in developing countries in the Pacific Rim. The employees of Multinational, Inc. have never been unionized. Zachary Bowman thinks it would be a good idea for him and his fellow employees to unionize.
Refer to Scenario 11.1. For a certification election to succeed,

A) a majority of the workers in the bargaining unit must approve the union.
B) a majority of workers who signed authorization cards must approve the union.
C) 30 percent of the workers in the bargaining unit must approve the union.
D) 30 percent of the workers voting in the election must approve the union.
E) a majority of the workers voting in the election must approve the union.

Question 23

Since the mid-1950s, unions have experienced decreasing difficulty in attracting new members.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that labor unions oppose the use of prison labor?

A) It is very easy to deny prisoners the right to form a union.
B) Prison labor displaces low-wage workers in the economy.
C) Prison labor does little to prepare prisoners for re-entry into the workforce following their release.
D) Prisoners are exploited because their wages are so low.
E) There are more prisoners today, so more work is done though prison labor.

Question 25

Which of the following types of arbitration gives the parties the MOST incentive to reach a settlement on their own?

A) Target point arbitration
B) Take-it-or-leave-it arbitration
C) Strike-based arbitration
D) Neutral arbitration
E) Final-offer arbitration

Question 26

Scenario 11.1
Multinational, Inc. has recently closed a number of plants in the United States and is planning to move the work of those plants to facilities in developing countries in the Pacific Rim. The employees of Multinational, Inc. have never been unionized. Zachary Bowman thinks it would be a good idea for him and his fellow employees to unionize.
Refer to Scenario 11.1. What percentage of workers must request a certification election before petitioning the National Labor Relations Board to conduct an election?

A) 15 percent
B) 30 percent
C) 40 percent
D) 50 percent
E) 75 percent

Question 27

An impasse is a situation where all parties involved will eventually reach an agreement.

Question 28

Idalia, a union member working in a union shop, has a disagreement with her supervisor about overtime pay. She goes to Nancy, her shop steward, with the complaint. What options does Nancy have to resolve this dispute?

A) Nancy can suggest that the supervisor be disciplined.
B) Nancy can call for workers to strike.
C) Nancy can ask Idalia to serve as an arbitrator for the dispute.
D) Nancy can tell Idalia that the supervisor's decision is appropriate.
E) Nancy can request a secret ballot election.

Question 29

Who normally conducts the first level of dispute resolution between a union member and an employer?

A) The union president
B) A member of the board of directors of the union
C) The shop president
D) The sergeant at arms
E) The shop steward

Question 30

The bargaining unit is the group of employees who are eligible for representation by the union.

Question 31

For decertification to occur, one condition is that the union must have served as the official bargaining agent for the employees for at least one year.

Question 32

Each local has an important elected position called the

A) shop steward
B) executive head.
C) department head.
D) dean of negotiations.
E) labor-mgt negotiator.

Question 33

Local unions are usually coordinated by a regional officer.

Question 34

Scenario 11.1
Multinational, Inc. has recently closed a number of plants in the United States and is planning to move the work of those plants to facilities in developing countries in the Pacific Rim. The employees of Multinational, Inc. have never been unionized. Zachary Bowman thinks it would be a good idea for him and his fellow employees to unionize.
Refer to Scenario 11.1. Which of the following social issues is NOT a concern that Multinational employees would be likely to have about their employer's plans?

A) Child labor in some foreign countries
B) Increasing use of contingent workers
C) Loss of American jobs
D) Negative consequences of globalization on American workers
E) Exploitation of Third World workers

Question 35

One of the biggest challenges that increased technology presents to unions is that

A) younger workers are at a disadvantage.
B) telecommuting is increasing.
C) work can be performed with fewer employees.
D) disabled workers need reasonable accommodations.
E) employees need training.

Question 36

____ items may be included in the collective bargaining if both parties agree.

A) Mandatory
B) Oblique
C) Permissive
D) Progressive
E) Regressive

Question 37

Scenario 11.1
Multinational, Inc. has recently closed a number of plants in the United States and is planning to move the work of those plants to facilities in developing countries in the Pacific Rim. The employees of Multinational, Inc. have never been unionized. Zachary Bowman thinks it would be a good idea for him and his fellow employees to unionize.
Refer to Scenario 11.1. Before a certification election can be held,

A) workers must file a specific grievance against management.
B) a majority of the workers must express an interest in unionization.
C) the National Labor Relations Board must define the bargaining unit.
D) the current labor contract must have expired.
E) 10 percent of the workers must sign authorization cards.

Question 38

A(n) ____ shop agreement requires new hires to join a union within a specified period of time.

A) arbitration
B) mediation
C) strike
D) closed
E) union

Question 39

Scenario 11.1
Multinational, Inc. has recently closed a number of plants in the United States and is planning to move the work of those plants to facilities in developing countries in the Pacific Rim. The employees of Multinational, Inc. have never been unionized. Zachary Bowman thinks it would be a good idea for him and his fellow employees to unionize.
Refer to Scenario 11.1. What is the first step that Mr. Bowman should take to begin the unionization process?

A) Hold a secret ballot election.
B) Ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold a certification election.
C) Call in a union organizer to stimulate interest in unionization.
D) Call for a boycott of Multinational's goods until the employer unionizes the workers.
E) Ask for an arbitrator to decide the issue of unionization.

Question 40

____ are unions organized at the level of a single organization or region.

A) Nationals
B) Internationals
C) Stakes
D) Locals
E) None of these

Question 41

Arbitration assumes that key parties will agree to the recommendations of the independent third-party arbitrator.

Question 42

How can management prepare for collective bargaining? How can a union prepare for collective bargaining?

Question 43

A boycott occurs when union members agree to not buy products from a targeted employer.

Question 44

Briefly describe each of the steps in the unionization process, including who is responsible for each action.

Question 45

What are some barriers to effective negotiation?

Question 46

Summarize the positions of labor unions on prison labor and contingent workers.

Question 47

A slowdown occurs when an employer denies employees access to the workplace.

Question 48

A strike occurs when workers representing the union march with signs at the employer's facility.

Question 49

The collective bargaining process involves two sides: management representing the employing company and the labor union representing workers.

Question 50

Summarize the early history of labor unions in the United States. What innovations did each new group offer?