Deck 11: Labor Relations and Healthcare Organizations

Question 1

Unions are usually interested in smaller bargaining units because __________.

A) Smaller groups do not make as many demands as larger groups.
B) Because there is less risk for an unfair labor practice charge
C) Often it leads to more successful organizing campaigns
D) All of the above

Answer 1

Often it leads to more successful organizing campaigns

Question 2

Healthcare employees seek union assistance because they believe that a union can provide __________.

A) Better working conditions
B) Job security
C) Financial security
D) All of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

The goal of a collaborative relationship between unions and management is to __________.

A) Avoid costly strikes
B) Address the mutual interests and issues of both sides
C) Increase productivity of the employees
D) Control the process and relationship by winning beneficial contracts for the workers

Answer 3

Address the mutual interests and issues of both sides

Question 4

A union election is determined by a vote of __________.

A) 50% plus 1
B) 50%
C) 49.5% + 1
D) 30%

Question 5

When negotiations have failed and a strike is possible,the contract must be extended for __________ when a board of inquiry is appointed,to allow time to properly investigate.

A) 10 days
B) 30 days
C) 60 days
D) an amount of time that the FMCS director decides upon

Question 6

What percent of the total U.S.civilian work force do unions represent?

A) 5.2%
B) 19.1%
C) 11.3%
D) 26.0%

Question 7

Traditionally many relationships between healthcare organizations and unions have been __________.

A) Adversarial
B) Long-term
C) Collaborative
D) Win-win

Question 8

Which of the appropriate is not an appropriate bargaining unit healthcare?

A) Technical employees
B) Physicians
C) Guards
D) Charge nurses with RN degrees

Question 9

In the healthcare industry the union "win-rate" is __________.

A) 67%
B) 58%
C) about the same as other industries
D) less than other industries

Question 10

One of the most important issues to decide upon as negotiations and contracting occur between unions and management is:

A) What control will unions have over the employees
B) How many union representatives will be on-site
C) What type of union-management relationship will exist
D) All of the above

Question 11

What year did congress repeal the clause that had exempted the healthcare industry from employee unionization?

A) 1974
B) 1958
C) 1981
D) 1965

Question 12

Decertifying a union entails which of the following?

A) Terminating the union's contract with the employees
B) Management taking away a portion of the union's authority as directed by the employees
C) Decreasing the membership in the union
D) When 25% of the union members want to terminate the unions contract

Question 13

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was created to:

A) Define and prohibit unfair labor practices by unions
B) Curtail corrupt union practices, by protecting workers from the unions that represent them
C) Provide more specific guidelines to govern the relationship between organizations and employees
D) Hold unions to the same fair labor practices that employers were required to follow

Question 14

Typically during the early stages of the Union Campaign management will argue that __________.

A) The union is trying to organize a group that has not been determined to be an appropriate bargaining unit
B) The authenticity and validity of the authorizations cards
C) The union is trying to organize a group of employees that are not knowledgeable about the effects unions will have on them
D) Compared to salaries received while in the union it would be financially beneficial for the employees not to unionize

Question 15

The NLRB determined that hospitals have __________ employee groups that could be considered bargaining units.

A) 10
B) 5
C) 8
D) 12

Question 16

The agency that mediates conflicts during adversarial negotiations is the __________.

A) National Labor Relations Board
B) Board of the National Labor Code
C) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services
D) Department of Labor

Question 17

To prove that a sufficient number of employees are interested in union representation,the NLRB requires the union to get what percent of signatures on authorization cards from the employees?

A) 30%
B) 30% + 1
C) 50%
D) 50% + 1

Question 18

Union membership in the United States has declined in recent years. To offset the decline unions are __________.

A) Decreasing union fees
B) Targeting the retail sector for their membership drives
C) Targeting the service sector for their membership drives
D) Increasing union fees in order to have more capital to spend on marketing

Question 19

Upper management's role in the development of a healthcare organization's philosophy of labor relations is:

A) Implement the intent of the philosophy
B) Become trained to deal effectively with employees and unions
C) Support the philosophy
D) Continually strategize in order to gain more control of the relationship

Question 20

If a union fails to give the 10-day notice to the employer,the NLRB is not required to protect striking workers,leaving healthcare employers the option of __________.

A) Buying the employee's contracts from the union
B) Hiring permanent replacement workers
C) Not recognizing the strike as official
D) Lowering the employees' salaries

Question 21

The NLRB is a federal agency that interprets and enforces the NLRA.

Question 22

Bargaining to impasse means __________.

A) The parties have not negotiated in good faith
B) Striking is the next step
C) Despite their best efforts, union and management couldn't come to an agreement
D) None of the above

Question 23

The NLRA requires organizations and unions to inform the NLRB of the parties' intent to begin negotiations 90 days before the contract expires.

Question 24

In step two of the employee grievance process,who is not in attendance?

A) Human resources staff
B) Senior administrative representative of the organization
C) Union representative
D) Employee

Question 25

The process of unionization must be initiated by the employees because unions approaching employees is considered an unfair labor practice.

Question 26

Which issue is not part of the collective bargaining process?

A) Scheduling
B) The pricing of an organization's products and services
C) Benefits
D) Working conditions

Question 27

During a strike,which of the following is not a crucial concern of management?

A) Determining how to treat staff members who cross the picket line
B) Providing an information hotline to update striking members
C) Securing the facility and grounds to avoid disruptions
D) Contracting vendors with union contracts to assure no sympathy strike by other unions

Question 28

The decision of an arbitrator is __________.

A) Never binding
B) Usually in favor of the union
C) Binding
D) Will typically become state law

Question 29

When management and union leaders cannot agree on who is and who is not included in the bargaining unit,the regional office of the NLRB makes the determination.

Question 30

When a union wins an election,research suggests that the employees voted for the union rather than against management.

Question 31

When a union contends that smoking on the facility grounds is a contractual benefit and that any attempt to enforce a new no-smoking policy would need negotiation,it is arguing against the __________.

A) Management rights clause
B) Wages and benefits clause
C) Working conditions clause
D) Union security clause

Question 32

What is the 2nd step in the labor contract negotiation process?

A) Negotiations
B) Develop initial demands
C) Settlement/no settlement
D) Collect Data

Question 33

What is the last step in interest-based bargaining?

A) Document agreed solutions
B) Evaluate options
C) Select options that meet mutual needs
D) Clarify the issue

Question 34

The process of unionizing an employee group can only be initiated by union organizers.

Question 35

If a union does not win an election,it is prohibited from conducting another organizing campaign for 24 months.

Question 36

Traditionally,relationships between unions and employers have been collaborative,but the pendulum is swinging towards more adversarial relations.

Question 37

The process of unionizing healthcare employees has changed drastically since 1974,when healthcare gained the right to bargain collectively.

Question 38

Negotiating the initial contract between the union and management can be difficult and time consuming because:

A) The parties are unfamiliar with each other
B) Both parties must start without any contract language about working conditions, wages, and benefits
C) Neither sides want the other to "win"
D) Employees often reconsider and terminate their union contract within the first three months after unionizing

Question 39

The risk of unionization decreases significantly when an organization adopts positive policies and supportive HR practices for employees

Question 40

Which is not part of the union security clause?

A) Exclusive right of the union to bargain on behalf of the employees
B) Automatically receive union dues through payroll deductions
C) Giving the union authority to employee personnel files in order to fine quality union representative candidates
D) Authorization to contact current and new employees who would be union members

Question 41

Six months must pass after certification before employees can decertify their union.

Question 42

Interest-based bargaining requires both sides to be open to collaborative relations.

Question 43

A grievance procedure is a formal process used to resolve issues that arise out of daily interactions between managers and workers.

Question 44

The collective-bargaining process begins when the NLRB notifies the management and union that the union has the official right to represent the employees.

Question 45

Planning for a strike begins at about the same time negotiations start.