Deck 12: Public-Sector Issues

Question 1

Workers in which of the following sectors are represented by Canada's largest unions?

A) healthcare
B) municipal/provincial/federal government services
C) banking and financial services
D) transportation and communications

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Interest arbitration is used instead of striking in the no-strike model.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Evidence shows that the human resources practices of public-sector managers have been moving away from the practices of private-sector managers.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Socio-technical systems design may be more difficult in the public sector than in the private sector.

Question 5

To whom does the statistic "collective bargaining coverage" apply?

A) all employed and unemployed individuals in a specific region
B) public and private sector unions
C) all workers in a company, including management employees and supervisors
D) only the exclusive employees that are part of a bargaining unit

Question 6

The passage of collective bargaining laws by the Canadian provinces and federal government in the 1960s and 1970s played an important role in facilitating future union organizing.

Question 7

Special laws govern labour-management relations in the public sector.

Question 8

Contracting out is a form of privatization.

Question 9

Which term describes the application of a labour contract to both union and nonunion employees?

A) legal framework
B) mediation-arbitration
C) public good
D) collective agreement coverage

Question 10

Within Canada, the role of the federal government has been changing from a neutral third party to a party of direct interest.

Question 11

The public-sector union density in Canada is steadily declining.

Question 12

Politics plays a much greater role in public-sector collective bargaining than in the private sector.

Question 13

Public-sector collective bargaining may be divided into distinct periods or generations.

Question 14

The political spectrum in the 23 countries that implemented the new public management policies began to narrow to include conservatives only.

Question 15

CUPE, Canada's current largest union, was created when two large municipal unions merged in the 1960s.

Question 16

The unfettered-strike model seems to work best when services are essential.

Question 17

Final-offer arbitration is a modification of interest arbitration that is designed to reduce the chilling and narcotic effects.

Question 18

Public sector employees are more than four times likelier to be unionized than private-sector employees.

Question 19

Back-to-work legislation may be appealing as a way to resume public services, and has no long-term consequences for the collective bargaining process.

Question 20

Public services are often offered in noncompetitive markets.

Question 21

Which of the following contributed significantly to the growth of public-sector unions in the 1960s and 1970s?

A) working conditions
B) union mergers
C) public apathy
D) 40-hour work week movement

Question 22

Mandatory third-party intervention in labour disputes, particularly when the right to strike is banned, often results in the parties being unable to reach an agreement. Which of the following is supported by this finding?

A) interest arbitration model
B) designation model
C) unfettered-strike model
D) legislated outcomes

Question 23

Which of the following contributes to the power of public-sector unions?

A) substitution of union workers is easy
B) demand for services is relatively elastic
C) public can punish both employer and union
D) labour is not easily substituted

Question 24

Why were public-sector dispute resolution mechanisms created?

A) to encourage privatization
B) to manage wage increases
C) to avoid strikes
D) to replace arbitration

Question 25

According to the text, the public sector represents approximately what percent of the total employment in Canada?

A) 10
B) 15
C) 25
D) 30

Question 26

Which profession best illustrates the variability of dispute resolution policies across Canadian jurisdictions?

A) doctors
B) teachers
C) police officers
D) firefighters

Question 27

What is the role of government in collective bargaining with public-sector unions in Canada?

A) It's a neutral third party and employer.
B) It protects and supports the union and its members.
C) It mediates between public- and private-sector unions.
D) It is excluded from bargaining matters.

Question 28

Collective bargaining in the public sector is not subject to the same application of economic power as found in the private sector. What takes the place of economic power in public-sector bargaining?

A) strikes and lockouts
B) employee exit/voice
C) mediation-arbitration
D) politics and public opinion

Question 29

Which of the following accompanies a restriction on the right to strike in the public sector in Canada?

A) binding interest arbitration
B) unfettered ability to lock out
C) mandatory essential service clauses
D) human resources management practices

Question 30

What is a modification of interest arbitration called?

A) mediation
B) final offer arbitration
C) meditated arbitration
D) court rulings

Question 31

What is the chilling effect?

A) limited bargaining that requires both parties make compromises
B) a lack of bargaining caused by bargaining in bad faith
C) limited bargaining caused by the parties' fear of making concessions
D) poor management-employee relations caused by a strike

Question 32

What does the term "public good" mean?

A) a product the public creates itself
B) an item whose consumption does not reduce the amount available to others
C) a durable good
D) a good the private sector chooses not to provide

Question 33

What can be said about Canadian public-sector dispute resolution policies?

A) Essential services are seldom mentioned.
B) Bans on strikes are found across the country.
C) It is difficult to find a pattern
D) Public interest has little influence on labour policy.

Question 34

What did the growth of unions in the public sector after 1960 replace?

A) civil service associations
B) civil rights associations
C) industrial unions
D) craft unions

Question 35

What is the approximate union density in the Canadian public sector?

A) 50%
B) 60%
C) 70%
D) 80%

Question 36

Traditionally, public-sector bargaining was opposed out of fear that public-sector workers would have too much bargaining power. What was seen as the basis for this power?

A) citizens' ability to punish only the employer for service disruption
B) the popular use of public services in parks and recreation
C) variable demand for public services across the country
D) labour costs are a small part of public service costs

Question 37

What does the narcotic effect in collective bargaining involve?

A) the separation of two parties during arbitration
B) the increased dependency of parties on arbitration
C) the removal of arbitration as an outcome
D) the increased dependency of parties on negotiating a collective agreement

Question 38

Which sector is usually considered to have inordinate public interest because an interruption of the service can be threatening?

A) construction
B) publishing
C) transportation
D) manufacturing

Question 39

Under the designation model, what other dispute resolution policy accompanies the right to strike?

A) mediation-arbitration
B) provision for essential services
C) prohibition on lockouts
D) interest arbitration

Question 40

When does the unfettered-strike model work best?

A) when services are not essential
B) in interest arbitration
C) when the services are essential
D) in mediation-arbitration

Question 41

What are Marshall's conditions of elasticity? How do they relate to the power of unions?

Question 42

Explain the role of the government in public sector bargaining.

Question 43

Adell, Ponak, and Grant (2001) examine three models of dispute resolution in the public sector in Canada. Explain the three models.

Question 44

According to Swimmer (2001), which of the following is a restraint policy that Canadian governments could use in response to high unionization rates?

A) downgrade the working conditions of managers
B) downgrade the working conditions of unionized employees
C) avoid asking for wage concessions from unionized employees
D) use legislation to improve wages and benefits

Question 45

What is the designation model of dispute resolution in the public sector in Canada?

Question 46

Define and explain the four generations of public-sector bargaining.

Question 47

How did Canada try to restore economic balance during a time of debts and deficits?

A) by raising taxes to offset the deficits
B) by shifting to privatization in the public sector
C) by management cutting the costs of production
D) by completely eliminating some services

Question 48

Describe and explain "monopsony," and give an example of it in the labour market.

Question 49

What is a characteristic of socio-technical systems design?

A) to enable workers to share in the benefits of the introduction of new technology
B) workers have limited responsibility
C) workers are substitutions for technological equipment
D) communication shifts away from supervisors to customers

Question 50

What does new public management place a lot of emphasis on?

A) employee involvement
B) public-sector practices
C) private-sector practices and service provision
D) efficiency and production in the manufacturing sector

Question 51

What do statistics show about unions' most popular reaction to privatization?

A) They responded proactively to reduce adverse effects.
B) They responded by striking and/or using worker slowdowns.
C) They responded by going to court and/or arbitration.
D) They responded creatively by offering alternatives.

Question 52

Name three factors that account for the rise of public-sector unions in the 1960s.

Question 53

Which factor makes it difficult to achieve innovative work practices in the public sector?

A) complex bureaucracy with many levels of job classifications
B) smaller, inactive union representation
C) lack of experimentation
D) numerous changes in political leaders

Question 54

A study of municipal government efforts at privatization revealed that unionized cities attracted more privatization proposals. What strategy used by unions in these municipalities was most effective at rejecting privatization?

A) adjustment policies
B) management resistance
C) industrial action
D) suggestions for alternatives

Question 55

Which of the following is an innovation on "traditional collective bargaining"?

A) court challenging
B) job actions
C) conciliation
D) mediation-arbitration