Deck 8: Administrative Issues

Question 1

Seniority is commonly used outside of North America as a key factor in determining issues such as layoff or promotion decisions.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Unionized firms provide more hours of formal training to employees than nonunion firms.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act permits unionized firms to negotiate advance notice of a plant closing or major layoff of more than 60 days.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Subcontracting of bargaining unit work is a mandatory subject of bargaining.

Question 5

Promotions are personnel changes within an organization that advance an employee to a position of more responsibility, usually accompanied by a wage increase.

Question 6

Some employers use flexible work schedules as a hiring incentive to attract applicants in occupations with a current labor shortage.

Question 7

Job security work rules when carried to an extreme are called featherbedding.

Question 8

The type of seniority rights used to determine eligibility for vacations, pensions, and holidays is called job rights seniority.

Question 9

If union stewards and local union officials are granted superseniority, they will be the last individuals laid off in their seniority unit.

Question 10

It is a generally accepted labor relations principle that management has the right to schedule work unless such right is restricted by the labor agreement.

Question 11

Superseniority is a term that means that an employee has the greatest amount of seniority among individuals in a particular job classification.

Question 12

Automation refers to changes in the production process that result from the introduction of laborsaving machinery and changes in material handling and work flow.

Question 13

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed because few labor agreements contained any contract language relating to the maintenance of a safe and healthy work environment.

Question 14

The LMRA, as amended, makes it unlawful for a union to engage in or encourage a work stoppage to force an employer to assign work to a particular union or craft.

Question 15

One reason some unions do not readily accept new technology is that management and employees still have mistrust for one another.

Question 16

Technological progress in the U.S. has resulted in higher productivity, the elimination of many menial and dangerous jobs, higher wages, shorter hours, and a higher standard of living.

Question 17

When a contract requires bargaining unit work to be performed only by bargaining unit employees except in emergencies, management has wide discretion in its interpretation of the term "emergencies."

Question 18

Employees have a right to refuse to perform work that they believe represents a serious threat to their safety or health.

Question 19

Layoff provisions in the majority of union contracts consider seniority is the primary or most important factor in retaining employees during layoffs.

Question 20

In recent years auto manufacturers have sought to eliminate the use of outsourcing.

Question 21

Which of the following is not a competitive job right?

A) layoff
B) promotion
C) transfer
D) vacation scheduling
E) none of these are competitive job rights

Question 22

Under the ADA, a person with a disability is broadly defined as including all but which of the following:

A) a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits that person in some major life activity.
B) a person with a record of such a physical or mental impairment.
C) a person who is regarded as having such an impairment.
D) persons who consider themselves as having a major life impairment.
E) all of these are included in the ADA definition of a person with a disability

Question 23

Payment for work that is not needed, workers working at reduced speed, and workers duplicating the work of others are examples of:

A) outsourcing.
B) subcontracting.
C) featherbedding.
D) hot cargo.
E) outsourcing with subscontracting.

Question 24

The primary purpose for granting superseniority to union officials involved in contract negotiation and administration activities is:

A) to assure preferential treatment in promotions.
B) to protect them from layoff.
C) to increase their job satisfaction.
D) to guarantee pay for time spent handling union business during working hours.
E) to provide them an incentive for cooperating with management.

Question 25

Jurisdictional disputes can occur when:

A) two or more unions claim jurisdiction over the same work assignments.
B) bargaining unit employees believe their work is being assigned to employees outside of the bargaining unit.
C) disagreements occur within the union over particular work assignments.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 26

The federal agency responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination in employment provisions of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) is:

A) Department of Labor.
B) ADA agency.
C) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
D) Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service.
E) Department of Disabilities.

Question 27

Featherbedding may be characterized as:

A) an exaggerated spreading of the work load among several workers to provide better job security.
B) requiring standby crews.
C) payment for unneeded workers.
D) jobs that duplicate other jobs already being done.
E) all of these

Question 28

______________ occurs when a firm determines that it cannot perform all the tasks that are necessary to operate its business successfully.

A) outsourcing
B) subcontracting
C) strategic partnership
D) strategic alliance
E) strategic partnership and alliance

Question 29

Issues affecting job security covered by negotiated work rules include which of the following?

A) job assignment
B) job content
C) seniority
D) training
E) all of these

Question 30

Which federal agency is authorized under the LMRA to resolve jurisdictional disputes?

A) National Labor Relations Board
B) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
C) National Mediation Board
D) National Joint Board
E) Department of Labor

Question 31

Which one of the following statements is not true concerning work restructuring programs?

A) tiers of managers are eliminated as employees take over managerial duties.
B) employees often demonstrate greatly increased outputs of energy and creativity.
C) some union leaders contend that work restructuring programs are intended by management to be "union-busting" techniques.
D) all managers openly support the adoption of work restructuring programs.
E) all of these statements are true concerning work restructuring programs.

Question 32

Which one of the following decisions would not involve the use of job rights seniority?

A) sick leave
B) job transfer
C) promotion
D) layoff or recall
E) all of these would involve the use of job rights seniority

Question 33

Which of the following individuals are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act?

A) A person who has successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program or who otherwise been rehabilitated and is no longer illegally using drugs.
B) A person who is currently participating in a rehabilitation program and is no longer illegally using drugs.
C) A person who is erroneously regarded as illegally using drugs.
D) All of these
E) A person who is participating in or has successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program or who otherwise been rehabilitated and is no longer illegally using drugs.

Question 34

Electronic monitoring of employees is a useful way to:

A) objectively evaluate their performance.
B) increase productivity.
C) plan for future business needs.
D) prevent theft or other unlawful activity on company property.
E) all of these

Question 35

Which of the following would be an example of a work restructuring program?

A) employee involvement program
B) self-managed work teams
C) worker participation program
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 36

Jurisdictional disputes can occur when:

A) employees work for more than one employer.
B) court decisions are appealed to a higher court.
C) state regulations are contradicted by federal regulations.
D) two or more unions claim jurisdiction over specific work assignments.
E) court decisions are appealed to a higher court and state regulations are contradicted by federal regulations.

Question 37

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers of 100 or more employees to provide ___ _____ of advance notice to workers of a plant closing or major layoff.

A) 7 days
B) 30 days
C) 60 days
D) 6 weeks
E) 6 months

Question 38

Which of the following safety and health standards are applied by OSHA across all industries?

A) employers are required to grant employees access to the employee's medical records maintained by the employer or any records concerning the employee's exposure to toxic substances.
B) employees have the right to refuse any job assignment where there is a potential for injury.
C) employees must be reimbursed for any purchase they make of protective equipment.
D) employees must maintain an injury/illness log to record the occurrence of off-the-job injuries.
E) all of these are standards applied by OSHA across all industries

Question 39

________ concerns employee eligibility for things such as vacation entitlement or scheduling.

A) Superseniority
B) Competitive job rights seniority
C) Benefit rights seniority
D) Administrative seniority
E) Competitive job rights seniority and benefit rights seniority

Question 40

Since passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA):

A) labor force participation rates have increased for moderately disabled persons but remained low for severely disabled persons.
B) employers have lost the majority of federal court cases involving ADA claims.
C) employers are required to make an accommodation for a disabled person even if that action would violate a term or condition of an existing labor agreement (e.g., seniority rights).
D) all of these
E) none of these