Question 1

A concern that nurses were being asked to perform tasks that went beyond the state's nurse practice act was brought to the union's attention. Nurses were informed that either mediation or binding arbitration will be used to resolve the issue. A novice nurse asks about the difference between these techniques and is informed that:

Accepted Answer

Correct:Binding arbitration requires that both parties meet in formal talks,and all parties must obey the arbitrator's recommendations.
Incorrect:a.Arbitration,not mediation,is sanctioned by the NLRB.
c.Mediation is not legally binding.
d.Binding arbitration focuses on more than self-governance.

Question 2

A nurse has heard rumors that other nurses are interested in unionizing but knows little about the purpose of unions. The nurse's first action is to:

Accepted Answer

Correct:The National Nurses United website gives information about collective bargaining for nurses.
Incorrect:a.An arbitrator is the person who negotiates for both sides and may provide information.However,to gain a foundation of understanding it is important that a nurse first contact either the National Nurses United or the National Labor Relations Board.
b.Picketing the agency places the nurse in a position to join the union,and those picketing may resent having someone who does not truly support their cause as a representative.
c.Signing the dual-purpose union authorization card is a request for an election and indicates the nurse is applying for union membership,which (without information) may not be the best choice.

Question 3

It is important to realize that nurses may seek unionization if: (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Correct:c.Policies where shift reports are taped and heard after a prior shift has left have proved to lead to errors and unsafe care.
e.Staff development activities should be scheduled to allow nurses to attend,and normal staffing patterns or time of training must coincide with nurses' availability and ability to listen to and retain information (such as at the beginning or end of the shift while others provide coverage).
Incorrect:a.Coverage is provided,and communication about client conditions can be shared.
b.Client care is ensured,and nurses have the opportunity to have time off on holidays shared among staff.
d.Such reports,commonly known as walking rounds or interdisciplinary rounds,allow a team approach to plan care.

Question 4

Mandatory overtime and reduction in RN staff have resulted in decreased client satisfaction and a sentinel event. Management is unwilling to discuss a change in staffing, and collective bargaining interest is sparked. A nurse is approached to sign a union authorization card. If signed, the card:

Accepted Answer

Correct:A signature on a union authorization card indicates that the nurse gives the union the right to serve as legal representation.
Incorrect:b.The signed union authorization card does not indicate a desire for information; rather it gives the union the right to serve as legal representative for the nurse.
c.The union meets with nurses to learn about grievances during the pre-election phase prior to signing the card.
d.The union authorization card does not give permission for union dues to be deducted from pay; rather it gives the union permission to serve as legal representative.

Question 5

Historically, what movement most influenced unionization in American health care agencies/hospitals?

Accepted Answer

Correct:The Industrial Revolution led to people working in factories where poor and unsafe working conditions were widespread.
Incorrect:a.Immigration laws protected workers rather than addressing unfair work practices.
b.Although women did enter the workforce during wartime,gender was not a reason to unionize.
d.Although unions provide for safe work environments,unionization was not directly related to communicable diseases.

Question 6

Mandatory overtime and reduction in RN staff have resulted in decreased client satisfaction and a sentinel event. Management is unwilling to discuss a change in staffing, and collective bargaining interest is sparked. During the pre-election period, what actions by management are prohibited? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Correct:a.During the pre-election period,management may not solicit spying.
b.During the pre-election period,management may not photograph employees engaged in union activities.
d.During the pre-election period,management may not lie about what will happen if the union is the victor in an election.
e.During the pre-election period,management may not question employees about their preferences regarding union activity.
Incorrect:c.There are no restrictions about visiting with individuals in management or administration.

Question 7

A large corporation employs nurses all over the United States. Nurses in one agency learned that fellow nurses in another agency are striking because they are required to work 16-hour shifts to cover for nurses who have left due to unsafe staffing practices. The union of the nonstriking agency nurses decides to stop work to support the nurses who are striking; thus, this union:

Accepted Answer

Correct:A sympathy strike occurs when a union stops work to support the strike of another union.
Incorrect:a.Sympathy strikes are legal and policies are in place to protect clients.
b.Sympathy strikes can be in support of another union.
d.Policies are put in place to limit losses and ensure client safety prior to a strike.

Question 8

In recent Gallop Polls, nurses were voted as the most honest with the highest ethical standards of all professions. How does this degree of professionalism affect nurses' desire to participate in organized strikes?

Accepted Answer

Correct:Nurses are client advocates and promotion of professionalism is valued as evidenced by the public's opinion related to honesty and professionalism.
Incorrect:a.Nurses may feel a conflict with collective bargaining activities such as strikes.
b.There are limited resources,especially evidence-based resources,that provide a thorough discussion of benefits and concerns with unionization for professional nurses.
d.A 10-day notice of intent to strike is required,allowing client care to be covered; thus negligence and abandonment is avoided.

Question 9

A group of RNs wish to seek union representation that would protect all workers in the agency including nonlicensed assistive personnel and non-nursing employees such as nutritionists and dietary workers. The type of union being sought is the strongest collective group and is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

Correct:An industrial unionism is a single union for all workers in the agency.
Incorrect:a.In an organization that has occupational unions,there are separate unions for each occupation.
c.A union shop is a worksite that requires all new employees within a work group to join the union.
d.Right-to-work statutes prohibit requirement of union member dues as part of employment.

Question 10

A group of nurses interested in unionizing decides to contact the largest union in the United States representing registered nurses, which is the:

Accepted Answer

In 2009,the National Nurses United became the largest union representing nurses RNs as a result of a merger between the United American Nurses,California Nurses Association,National Nurses Organizing Committee,and Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Question 11

A group of nurses are assembling outside a hospital protesting the use of foreign nurses after several nurses were terminated due to what the hospital called recurring "decreased census." The nurses carry signs with messages asking potential patients to seek care elsewhere. The local newspaper picked up the story, and the hospital is receiving negative press. The nurses are participating in:

Accepted Answer

Correct:Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place.Often this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in ("crossing the picket line"),but it can also be done to draw public attention to a cause.
Incorrect:b.Collective bargaining is the process by which workers organize under the representation of a union in order to share a degree of power with management to determine selected aspects of the conditions of employment.
c. A strike is a work stoppage caused by the refusal of a large portion of employees to perform work; it usually takes place to enforce demands relating to employment conditions or to protest unfair labor practices.
d.Arbitration is the method used for formal talks between management and labor within modern business,industry,or service organizations.

Question 12

A nurse has been asked to serve as the charge nurse on the evening shift. The agency where the nurse is employed is considering unionization. If the charge nurse position is accepted, this nurse:

Accepted Answer

Correct:Serving as charge nurse is part of a nurse's professional role and not a management function.
Incorrect:b.The duty of assigning clients and coordination of care is not a management function.
c.A grievance deals with allegations by an employee that he or she has been treated unfairly.
d.This nurse is eligible for representation through collective bargaining.

Question 13

Nurses in a unionized hospital are paid "compensatory pay" when working holidays equal to the number of hours worked with no extra compensation. Although they have suggested changes during the annual survey of employee satisfaction, management refuses to consider another system for compensatory pay. A trained member listened to both nurses and management to make recommendations that were not legally binding. This type of settlement is termed:

Accepted Answer

Correct:Mediation enlists the help of a trained person to listen to both sides; however,recommendations are not legally binding.
Incorrect:a.Picketing occurs when a group of striking employees who congregate outside the workplace to draw attention to or discourage others from entering the workplace.
b.Although binding arbitrations involve talks between all parties,the recommendations are compulsory.
d.A grievance is usually filed by a single employee who feels he or she has been treated unfairly.

Question 14

A hospital is seeking a 2.5% wage reduction for all nurses as part of a new balanced budget plan; however, the plan provides for raises for upper-level management. This plan resulted in a call for a union to protect the nurses. When the union representative arrives, what questions should the nurses ask? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Correct:b.Laborers (staff nurses) want a union with a successful track record of improving wages and benefits.
c.Union dues are used to support union personnel,and the amount varies among different union groups; the higher the percentage of money that goes to pay union personnel salaries,the less money will be available to support members.
e.Employers are not obligated to pay laborers during a strike,and unions may choose to pay employees while striking.
Incorrect:a.Unions are not involved in philanthropic activities.
d.Union dues are used to support activities to improve the lives of laborers,not to support research activities.

Question 15

A nurse is interested in working in a large trauma center that is unionized but does not want to join the union or pay fees. She accepts the position but is not required to join or pay fees to the union based on which law?

Accepted Answer

Correct:The Right-to-Work law prohibits membership or payment of union dues or "fees" a condition of employment,either before or after hiring.
Incorrect:a.The National Labor Relation Act identifies acts that interfere with rights of employees or employers.
c.The National Labor Relations Act gave employees the right to self-organize,to form labor unions,and to bargain collectively.
d.The Taft-Hartley Act exempted charitable institutions,including nonprofit hospitals,from the 1935 NLRA Act.

Question 16

A hospital refused to purchase a better grade of utility gloves, even after learning that the cheaper utility gloves are easily punctured during routine use. This unsafe situation led nurses to seek unionization. During the pre-election phase for unionization, which actions by union representatives are prohibited by the National Labor Relations Board? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Correct:a.Union representatives must meet in nonwork areas.
b.Union representatives must not spread rumors of prejudices.
d.Neither the union nor employers can spread falsehood about potential job loss or repercussion in the event of unionization.
e.Union representatives cannot sign cards for employees.
Incorrect:c.Union materials,including information about grievances,can be distributed on public property.

Question 17

Nurses in a nonprofit hospital have expressed an interest in forming a union to secure fair wages and ensure client safety. To form a core support group of nurses, the union organizer can conduct meetings to gather initial information:

Accepted Answer

Correct:The union representative meets with laborers (staff nurses) at a nonwork setting to gather information about grievances.
Incorrect:a.When initiating union efforts,meetings take place at nonwork settings with laborers who are leaders to gather information about grievances.
b.Meetings are initially conducted at nonwork settings.
d.There is no policy about photographing management; however,management cannot photograph employees who may be interested or meeting about unionization.

Question 18

The time has arrived for the election to be held to decide whether to become unionized. Nurses who are anxious that they may lose their job and want the process to proceed quickly ask, "How will the election be conducted?" Place these steps in order. Put a comma and space between each solve  choice (for example: a, b, c, d, e).

Accepted Answer

The steps to the election process are as follows:
1.The NLRB is petitioned by the union or employer for an election and distributed to the regional NLRB director.
2.The union submits proof that 30% of eligible nurses are interested in forming a collective bargaining unit.
3.For 10 days,literature is mailed to eligible employees.
4.The NLRB,union representative,and employer representative review the list of those eligible to vote.
5.The NLRB,union representative,and employer representative count ballots.

Question 19

Physical therapists are represented by a union, nurses are represented by a separate union, and pharmacists have yet another union within a single agency. This type of union representation is known as:

Accepted Answer

Correct:Occupational unionism indicates separate unions for each occupation in an agency.
Incorrect:b.Industrial unionism is a single union for all workers in the agency.
c.A union shop is a worksite that requires all new employees within a work group to join the union.
d.Power sharing refers to the right of employees to share in decision making.

Quiz 13: Collective Bargaining and Unions in Today’s Workplace