Question 1

Each national union has a collective bargaining agreement that spells out the union's bylaws and procedures.

Accepted Answer

A collective bargaining agreement is a contract negotiated between a union and an employer that sets terms of employment, such as wages and working conditions, not the union's bylaws and procedures. Union bylaws and procedures are typically outlined in separate documents that govern the union's internal operations.

Question 2

Union avoidance is the extent to which an employer will work to become or remain a "union free" establishment.

Accepted Answer

Union avoidance refers to an employer's efforts to prevent or avoid unionization among their workforce. This can include various tactics such as providing better benefits or working conditions, communicating with employees to address concerns, and even consulting with legal counsel to develop strategies for remaining "union free."

Question 3

U.S. labor law mandates basic democratic procedures within unions, including free speech and election provisions.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. labor law, particularly the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), indeed mandates basic democratic procedures within unions, such as the right to free speech, secret ballot elections, and fair representation. These provisions aim to protect the workers' rights to organize, bargain collectively, and participate in their union's decision-making processes.

Question 4

An amalgamated union is a federation of unions from a variety of industries and occupations.

Accepted Answer

An amalgamated union is a single union formed by the merging of smaller unions, typically within the same industry or occupation, not a federation of unions from various industries.

Question 5

In most unions, the first person contacted when a grievance arises in the workplace is the union steward.

Accepted Answer

The union steward is typically the first point of contact when a grievance arises in the workplace in most unions.

Question 6

An international union federation will typically be involved in union organizing, negotiating, and grievance handling for a national or local union.

Accepted Answer

An international union federation primarily focuses on global cooperation between unions, setting international labor standards, and advocating for workers' rights on an international level, rather than directly organizing, negotiating, and handling grievances for national or local unions.

Question 7

Companies pursuing a differentiation strategy are likely to embrace the human resource management school of thought.

Accepted Answer

The human resource management school of thought emphasizes the importance of attracting, developing, and retaining talented employees who can differentiate a company through their unique skills and abilities. Therefore, companies pursuing a differentiation strategy would benefit from implementing HRM practices to support this goal.

Question 8

In the U.S., local union leadership is usually appointed by the regional or national president.

Accepted Answer

Local union leadership is typically elected by union members at the local level, not appointed by higher-ups.

Question 9

The lowest union densities in the U.S. can be found in the Southwest and Northeastern states.

Accepted Answer

The lowest union densities in the U.S. are typically found in the Southern states, not the Southwest and Northeastern states. The Northeastern states often have higher union densities compared to the national average.

Question 10

National unions usually have final authority over local union actions such as negotiating, organizing, and striking.

Accepted Answer

National unions generally have the power to make decisions and issue directives that local unions are expected to follow, including negotiating with employers, organizing new members, and calling strikes. However, local unions also have some autonomy to make decisions on local matters and may have some flexibility in how they implement national directives.

Question 11

Though national unions are available to provide research assistance, the majority of union organizing, training, lobbying, and supervision of collective bargaining is done by the local unions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Though national unions are available to provide...

Question 12

Change to Win was a federation of seven of the U.S.'s largest unions which left the AFL-CIO in 2005. It now consists of just three unions.

Accepted Answer

Change to Win originally consisted of seven unions, but currently only has three remaining members.

Question 13

Southern and southwestern states generally have the lowest union densities in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

This is true. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the states with the lowest union densities were predominantly located in the South and Southwest regions of the U.S.

Question 14

Theory X is a management theory that sees workers as fundamentally disliking work and being unwilling to put forth effort unless they are threatened and controlled.

Accepted Answer

Theory X, introduced by Douglas McGregor, posits that employees are inherently lazy and require rigid control and threats of punishment in order to be motivated to complete their work.

Question 15

A union constitution is a document that spells out election procedures, by-laws, and other procedures for each national union.

Accepted Answer

A union constitution is a formal document that outlines the organization and governance of a labor union, including but not limited to the procedures for electing union officers, the union's by-laws, and other operational policies and procedures.

Question 16

Due to the decline in manufacturing in the U.S., manufacturing has one of the lowest union density rates among industries.

Accepted Answer

Manufacturing remains one of the more highly unionized sectors in the U.S., despite the overall decline in manufacturing jobs and union membership across all sectors.

Question 17

The substantive dimension of union democracy refers to the responsiveness of a union's leadership to its members.

Accepted Answer

The substantive dimension of union democracy refers to the extent to which a union's leadership is accountable and responsive to its members.

Question 18

A union suppression strategy sees employees as assets so policies are designed to train and reward employees to prevent them from wanting a union.

Accepted Answer

A union suppression strategy is aimed at preventing employees from unionizing through various means, which may include creating a hostile environment for union activities, rather than viewing employees as assets and rewarding them.

Question 19

When comparing the democratic processes of unions and corporations, one can conclude that they are comparable.

Accepted Answer

Unions typically operate with a more democratic process, where members have a vote in key decisions, including electing leaders and approving contracts. Corporations, on the other hand, are generally governed by a board of directors and management, with shareholders having limited voting rights often proportional to the number of shares they own, which does not equate to the one member, one vote principle seen in unions.

Question 20

The split in the AFL-CIO, which led to the creation of the Change to Win federation, occurred over concerns about the amount of money that the AFL-CIO was putting into union organizing at the expense of political lobbying.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The split in the AFL-CIO, which led...

Quiz 5: Labor and Management: Strategies, Structures, and Constraints