Deck 13: Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining

Question 1

The Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA)of 1978 is applicable to the railroad industry employees,airline workers,and federal employees.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

NLRA describes what constitutes unfair labor practices by employers.Prohibited activities include bargaining in good faith with employee representatives.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Primary boycott refers to the union trying to induce third parties,such as suppliers and customers,to refrain from any business dealings with an employer with whom it has a dispute.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Mediators act as go-betweens between the parties to help clarify the issues but that they have no conclusive power or authority to impose a legally binding solution.

Question 5

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibits union discrimination against workers who do not want to participate in union activities,including strikes.

Question 6

Grievance procedures generally establish the specified number of working days within which the grievance must be taken to the next step in the hearing.

Question 7

Concessionary bargaining is also called interest-based bargaining.

Question 8

A desire to have more influence in effecting change in the work environment is one of the general reasons why workers join unions.

Question 9

In the event that a union is not accepted,another certification election can be held within 12 months.

Question 10

One risk of striking is that replacement employees could vote the union out in an NLRB-conducted decertification election.

Question 11

Collective bargaining occurs when representatives of a labor union meet with management representatives to determine employees' wages and benefits,to create or revise work rules,and to resolve disputes or violations of the labor contract.

Question 12

The intent of miniarbitration is to expedite a decision after an appeal is made.

Question 13

Institutional issues in collective bargaining include issues such as pension plans,paid vacations and holidays,health insurance plans,dismissal pay,reporting pay,and supplementary unemployment benefits (SUB).

Question 14

If an employee believes that they have individual influence at work and are protected against unfair treatment by their managers,they will be less likely to join a union.

Question 15

Distributive bargaining is the most common type of bargaining in which both sides try to reach a mutually beneficial alternative or a win-win solution.

Question 16

An arbitrator's role is to make a ruling that is final and binding upon both parties.

Question 17

Good-faith bargaining means that either party is required to agree to a final proposal or to make concessions.

Question 18

While it is true that unionized workers have higher base pay than non-unionized workers,the same cannot be said for the level of benefits received by unionized workers,who generally have fewer benefits than their peers in nonunion organizations.

Question 19

Distributive bargaining involves a union giving back to management some of what it has gained in previous bargaining.

Question 20

The Taft-Hartley Act was designed to protect workers' rights to organize and join unions.

Question 21

International labor relations is complicated due to differences in the role of governments,religions and political agendas from one county to another.

Question 22

"Right-to-work" laws declare that:

A)management cannot interfere with or restrain workers in their right to organize.
B)union security agreements which require membership as a condition of employment are illegal.
C)unions can not discriminate against workers who do not participate in strikes.
D)employers may not interfere with employee representation and collective bargaining rights.
E)employers can interfere with employee representation.

Question 23

The Coal Miners' National Union (CMNU)has decided to give up some of the advantages it has gained for the past five years in an attempt to avoid a lay off of several hundred coal miners at a local coal mine.This sort of tactic is called:

A)distributive bargaining.
B)impasse resolution.
C)concessionary bargaining.
D)unmediated arbitration.
E)binding arbitration.

Question 24

Each of the following is an institutional collective bargaining issue EXCEPT:

A)rights and duties of employers.
B)union security.
C)quality of work life programs.
D)check-off procedures.
E)two-tier wage systems.

Question 25

Which of the following is illegal under the Taft-Harley act?

A)Strike
B)Picketing
C)Primary boycott
D)Secondary boycott
E)Lockout

Question 26

In signing a binding arbitration policy,an employee:

A)can still file charges in federal courts.
B)can veto the decision of the arbitrator.
C)has to submit his/her complaint to the arbitration process.
D)can, with the help of the arbitrator, reach a consensus agreement with the company regarding the grievance.
E)can require the company to pay for the arbitration process.

Question 27

Unlike the U.S.,in Europe,more than one union,may represent the same workers.

Question 28

Which of the following statements regarding unions is FALSE?

A)Unions tend to not get involved in productivity improvement programs.
B)Union membership has dropped substantially in the 1980s.
C)Union influence is much greater outside of the U.S., particularly in Europe.
D)Unions put constraints on many HR decisions such as compensation, promotion, demotion, and termination.
E)Employees believe that unions can actually improve conditions and, in particular, can have an impact at their own workplace.

Question 29

An example of unions cooperating with management is the retraining of employees to diminish the need for layoffs and downsizing.

Question 30

A(n)__________ is a formal agreement between a union and management which specifies conditions of employment for a certain period of time.

A)labor contract
B)contract negotiation
C)master agreement
D)arbitration settlement
E)document

Question 31

Pension plans,paid vacations and holidays,health insurance plans,dismissal pay,reporting pay,and supplementary unemployment benefits (SUBs)are examples of which of the following collective bargaining issues?

A)Wage-related collective bargaining issues
B)Supplementary economic benefits issues
C)Institutional issues
D)Administrative issues
E)Concessionary bargaining

Question 32

The __________ formally recognized workers' right to organize and bargain collectively with representatives of their own choosing.

A)Wagner Act
B)Taft-Hartley Act
C)Landrum-Griffin Act
D)Norris-LaGuardia Act
E)Americans with Disabilities Act

Question 33

According to NLRA:

A)management cannot interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights to organize, bargain collectively.
B)management cannot dominate or interfere with the formation or administration of any labor organization.
C)management cannot encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization by discrimination with regard to hiring.
D)management cannot refuse to bargain collectively with representatives of the employees.
E)management can discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee because he or she has filed charges or given testimony.

Question 34

The Civil Service Reform Act:

A)mandates health coverage for all federal workers.
B)legislates the organizational structure of unions.
C)includes coverage of secondary boycotts.
D)replaces the earlier Taft-Hartley Act.
E)prohibits strikes by federal workers.

Question 35

The future of unionization in the U.S.is positive,especially with legislative and political forces in favor of unions.

Question 36

Workers at the MJR Steel Mill have recently begun efforts to unionize.Who of the following is the MOST likely to welcome the unionization effort?

A)An economist who consults for the firm.
B)The vice-president in charge of production.
C)A corporate stockholder.
D)A factory line steelworker.
E)Engineers.

Question 37

The __________ view maintains that unionization reduces worker quit rates,thereby leading to retention of experienced workers,lowering a firm's training costs,and raising its productivity.

A)collective voice
B)ecological
C)human resource
D)monopoly
E)enlightened

Question 38

In general public sector employees have more bargaining power than private sector employees.

Question 39

Each of the following is an administrative collective bargaining issue EXCEPT:

A)seniority.
B)employee discipline and discharge procedures.
C)work rules.
D)union security.
E)job security.

Question 40

The __________ was designed to protect workers from union corruption.

A)Civil Rights Act of 1964
B)Wagner Act
C)Landrum-Griffin Act
D)The Fair Labor Reform Bill of 1978
E)The Fair Labor Standards Act

Question 41

The NLRA has described what constitutes unfair labor practices by employers.List a few of these prohibited activities.

Question 42

When a union sympathizer seeks and gains employment at a non-unionized company with the intent of laying the ground work for a union certification election,this is known as _____.

A)election arbitration
B)mediation
C)a yellow dog agreement
D)an impasse resolution
E)Salting

Question 43

List the steps involved in forming unions.

Question 44

What are union effects on worker satisfaction?

Question 45

Union recognition is most commonly a result of _______.

A)the outcome of arbitration
B)management count of authorization cards
C)NLRB order based on an unfair labor practice
D)an NLRB ordered election
E)impasse resolution mediation

Question 46

An arbitrator must take into account all of the following when forming a decision EXCEPT:

A)Precedents that have been established in previous cases.
B)Whether the employee was accorded due process.
C)Recent laws.
D)The facts of the current case.
E)Whether the employer had just cause for any actions taken against the complainant.

Question 47

The National Railworkers Union (NRU)and Norfolk-Southern Railway (NSR)have been bargaining over a new labor contract for several weeks.However,the negotiations have reached a deadlock and the NRU is threatening to strike.At this point both parties should do which of the following?

A)Bring in an arbitrator to settle the differences and recommend a course of action.
B)Bring court action against the other party.
C)Call in a mediator to review the dispute and suggest compromises.
D)Agree to the strike.
E)Use miniarbitration.

Question 48

A company has 2,000 eligible workers in a prospective bargaining unit.How many of these workers need to sign an authorization card before the NLRB will order an election?

A)200
B)600
C)500
D)201
E)1001

Question 49

Discuss several criticisms of the arbitration process and offer strategies designed to combat these criticisms.

Question 50

As a manager of an organization,you have just become aware that some employees have initiated an effort to begin unionization.What are some of the actions that you might take to deter this effort?

Question 51

Briefly explain the aspects involved in preparing for labor contract negotiations.

Question 52

__________ requires that a hearing be held within 10 days after an appeal is made.

A)Grievance mediation
B)Mediation
C)Miniarbitration
D)Written grievance
E)Impasse resolution

Question 53

Briefly explain the three most common forms of bargaining.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the U.S.labor relations system relative to systems in most other countries?

A)The U.S. is unusual in that more than one union may represent the same workers.
B)The U.S. government plays a more active role in labor relations and dispute resolution compared to other countries.
C)In other countries the relationship between the union and management is generally adversarial, while in the U.S. the relationship is more cooperative.
D)In the U.S. there is decentralized collective bargaining, while other countries rely primarily on industry-wide negotiation.
E)In the U.S. the unions emphasize political issues to a greater degree.

Question 55

List the major issues in collective bargaining.

Question 56

Briefly discuss the two perspectives on the effects of labor unions.

Question 57

Differentiate between picketing,striking,and boycotting an employer.

Question 58

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding arbitration?

A)If a grievance cannot be settled, both sides agree on an arbitrator to decide the matter.
B)Arbitration is a last resort if attempts to settle grievance disputes have failed.
C)Arbitration can be very costly.
D)Arbitration is more costly in comparison to strikes and lockouts.
E)A major criticism of arbitration is the problem of delays which can take place.

Question 59

If a union has been successful in getting a majority of workers to sign authorization card,it may be in the company's best interest to consider ________ to recognize the union without a certification election.

A)Grievance mediation
B)a neutrality agreement
C)binding arbitration
D)interest based negotiation
E)Impasse resolution

Question 60

If employees no longer want to be represented by their union,they may petition the NLRB for which of the following?

A)Mini arbitration
B)Deauthorization
C)Contract bar
D)Decertification
E)Statutory bar

Question 61

OSHA's has workplace standards for most potential hazards,with the exception of noise levels in the work place.