Question 1

The Labor-Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act) strengthened unions by giving them the right to engage in featherbedding and secondary boycotts.

Accepted Answer

The Taft-Hartley Act actually weakened unions by prohibiting featherbedding practices and limiting their ability to engage in secondary boycotts.

Question 2

The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) gave employees the right to form and join labor organizations and the right to engage in activities such as strikes and boycotts.

Accepted Answer

This is a correct statement. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) was passed in 1935 and granted employees the right to form and join labor organizations, as well as the right to engage in activities such as strikes and boycotts without fear of retaliation from employers.

Question 3

Daniel remembers his grandfather telling him about going to work at 16 years of age in the coal mines of West Virginia. In order to get the job, he had to agree to a yellow-dog contract. Essentially this meant he would only get the job if he agreed not to join a union.

Accepted Answer

A yellow-dog contract made employees agree, as a condition of employment, they would not attempt to unionize, or join a union.

Question 4

Candace is negotiating with management as a member of a union team. The union wants to obtain a labor contract for the workers represented by the union. Candace is involved in contract arbitration.

Accepted Answer

The process by which representatives of labor and management seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable labor contract is known as collective bargaining.

Question 5

Until passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, under a closed shop agreement, a company could only hire workers who already belonged to a union.

Accepted Answer

A closed shop agreement requires that all employees be members of a particular union before being hired or retained by the company. This was outlawed by the Taft-Hartley Act, which allowed states to pass right-to-work legislation that prohibited closed shop agreements.

Question 6

The negotiated labor-management agreement clarifies the terms and conditions under which labor and management agree to function over a specified period of time.

Accepted Answer

A negotiated labor-management agreement (also known as a collective bargaining agreement) is a written agreement between a labor union and an employer that outlines the terms and conditions of employment for a specific period of time. This agreement serves as a legally binding contract and covers topics such as wages, benefits, working conditions, and job security. By establishing clear guidelines for the relationship between labor and management, the agreement helps to promote stability, predictability, and fairness in the workplace.

Question 7

The NLRB oversees the decertification of unions. Company owners can petition and seek the signatures of 30% of the employees in order to decertify the union; in other words, officially, the union could no longer represent the employees in any bargaining negotiations.

Accepted Answer

The NLRB can also decertify unions; however, an employee or an employee's representative must initiate a petition and seek the signatures of 30% of the current employees, before the decertification goes to a secret ballot vote of all employees. The employer does not seek the signatures.

Question 8

Wage rates, hours of work, employee benefits, and job rights and seniority are issues covered in a typical negotiated labor-management agreement.

Accepted Answer

These are all common topics addressed in a negotiated labor-management agreement.

Question 9

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has created procedures that union advocates must follow in order to organize a union at a place of business. The multistep procedure culminates with a secret vote by the employees of the organization.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. government, through the Wagner Act, created the National Labor Relations Board, a five-member committee appointed by the President of the United States. It oversees the organization of unions and certifies union groups.

Question 10

The workers at the Fairfield Company are unhappy with the way they have been represented by their union. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) allows these workers to take away the union's right to represent them through a process known as decertification.

Accepted Answer

The Wagner Act established a process to take away the right of a union to represent a group of workers. This process is known as decertification.

Question 11

The Labor-Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act) allowed states to pass laws that prohibited compulsory union membership.

Accepted Answer

The Taft-Hartley Act did allow states to pass "right-to-work" laws that prohibited compulsory union membership.

Question 12

The Norris-LaGuardia Act prohibited courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent union activities.

Accepted Answer

The Norris-LaGuardia Act, passed in 1932, was designed to limit the power of the federal courts to issue injunctions in labor disputes. Specifically, it prohibited federal courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent labor activities, such as strikes, picketing, and boycotts. This was seen as a victory for unions and workers' rights, as it provided them with greater protection from legal action by employers and the government.

Question 13

A union security clause in a labor-management agreement stipulates that employees who benefit from a union must either officially join or at least pay dues to the union.

Accepted Answer

A union security clause indeed requires employees who benefit from union representation to become members or at least pay union dues. This helps the union maintain its funding and bargaining power.

Question 14

During an interview with a Summit Systems company representative, Susie was told that Summit faces intense competition and management believes that the only way the company can survive is to have a nonunion workforce. Therefore, all workers Summit hires must sign an employment contract stating that they agree not to join a union while they work for Summit. This requirement by Summit is illegal in the United States.

Accepted Answer

A yellow-dog contract is a contract that requires workers to agree not to join a union as a condition of employment. The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 declared that this type of arrangement was illegal.

Question 15

The main objectives of organized labor, better wages, and shorter hours, have remained remarkably stable over time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The main objectives of organized labor, better...

Question 16

The Labor-Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act) gave more power to management.

Accepted Answer

The Labor-Management Relations Act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, was passed in 1947 and aimed to balance the power between labor and management. It restricted the activities and power of labor unions, thereby indirectly giving more power to management by limiting union influence.

Question 17

Under a union shop agreement, workers must belong to a union before they can be hired.

Accepted Answer

Under a union shop agreement, workers are not required to be members of the union to be hired, but they must join the union within a certain period after starting employment.

Question 18

One goal of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) was to clean up union corruption.

Accepted Answer

The Landrum-Griffin Act was enacted to address and reduce corruption within labor unions by promoting transparency and accountability in union activities.

Question 19

Under the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), the National Labor Relations Board can establish a labor union in an organization if it finds evidence of substantial labor abuse within that organization.

Accepted Answer

The National Labor Relations Board does not have the right to establish a union. It does, however, oversee certification elections, and will recognize a union as the authorized bargaining agent for a group of workers if a majority of those workers vote in favor of union representation.

Question 20

Under a closed shop agreement, workers must agree not to join a union in order to keep their jobs.

Accepted Answer

A closed shop agreement requires workers to be members of a particular union in order to keep their jobs, not the other way around.

Quiz 12: Dealing With Employeemanagement Issues