Question 1

A manager is preparing an arbitration case involving the dismissal of her employee. According to one study in your text, what should she do to prevent the arbitrator from overturning the case?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, the most important factor in preventing an arbitrator from overturning a dismissal case is to ensure that the evidence supports the charge of wrongdoing. While selecting an arbitrator with experience in similar cases and preparing the case based on leading arbitration cases can also be helpful, they are not as critical as having strong evidence to support the case. Determining whether the case is timely under the contract is also important, but not as essential as having evidence. Therefore, the best choice is B.

Question 2

A yellow-dog contract was an early anti-union tactic whereby employers circulated the names of known union supporters so they wouldn't be hired.

Accepted Answer

A yellow-dog contract was an agreement that employees signed promising not to join a union or participate in union activities as a condition of their employment.

Question 3

A union shop is a provision of the collective agreement that requires applicants to join the union before they are hired.

Accepted Answer

A union shop is a workplace where employees are not required to join the union as a condition of being hired, but they must join the union within a specified period after they are hired.

Question 4

Which term refers to the technique sometimes used when an issue is particularly important or urgent and involves bypassing some steps in the grievance process?

Accepted Answer

Expedited arbitration refers to the technique sometimes used when an issue is particularly important or urgent and involves bypassing some steps in the grievance process.

Question 5

What must the grievance arbitrator do after listening to a dispute over administration of the collective agreement?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What must the grievance arbitrator do after...

Question 6

The steps in a typical union organizing campaign depend on the industry in which the employees work.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The steps in a typical union organizing...

Question 7

The labour relations board is a department within Human Resources Development Canada.

Accepted Answer

The labour relations board is not a department within Human Resources Development Canada. It is typically an independent administrative tribunal that oversees and enforces labour relations laws and regulations.

Question 8

Employees will join a union if they perceive inequity in pay and benefits, experience dissatisfaction with supervisors and managers, and feel that their needs for status and recognition are not being met.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that these are common reasons why employees choose to join unions.

Question 9

A closed shop is a provision of the collective agreement that requires employers to hire only union members.

Accepted Answer

A closed shop provision requires employers to hire only union members.

Question 10

Today, there are more women in unions than men.

Accepted Answer

According to a report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, as of 2021, women make up 52% of union members in the United States.

Question 11

Large national unions, such as the Canadian Auto Workers, have formal organizing departments to identify organizing opportunities and launch organizing campaigns.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Large national unions often have dedicated organizing departments whose primary function is to identify potential organizing opportunities and plan and execute organizing campaigns to recruit new members into the union.

Question 12

The rate of unionization among Canadian workers continues to rise.

Accepted Answer

According to recent data from Statistics Canada, the rate of unionization has been declining in Canada since the 1980s and currently sits at around 30%, which is lower than it was ten years ago.

Question 13

If an employee personally decides that the benefits will outweigh the costs of joining the union, then she or he is using the open shop provision of the collective agreement.

Accepted Answer

The open shop provision allows employees to choose whether or not to join a union, based on their own personal assessment of the benefits and costs.

Question 14

One of the duties of a provincial labour board is to hear complaints and make decisions regarding strikes and lockouts.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Provincial labour boards are responsible for hearing complaints related to strikes and lockouts and making decisions regarding them. They also have the authority to mediate and arbitrate disputes between employers and unions.

Question 15

What is the final step in the grievance process?

Accepted Answer

The final step in the grievance process is rights arbitration, which involves a neutral third party called an arbitrator who listens to both sides of the dispute and makes a final and binding decision on the matter. Collective bargaining refers to the negotiation of a labor agreement between the employer and employee representatives. Grievance resolution typically refers to the early stages of the process where the employee and employer attempt to work out a solution before the grievance proceeds to arbitration. Witness testimonies are a part of the evidence presented during the arbitration process, but they are not the final step.

Question 16

Unions are often concerned with changes in business practices, such as outsourcing work.

Accepted Answer

Yes, unions often weigh in on business practices that affect their members, including outsourcing work.

Question 17

The Trades Unions Act allowed unions to pursue the goals of collective bargaining without persecution and gave them the ability to strike.

Accepted Answer

The Trades Unions Act of 1871 in the United Kingdom legalized unions and gave them the freedom to organize, pursue collective bargaining, and strike without fear of legal repercussion.

Question 18

The purpose of a union organizing drive is to raise funds for the union.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of a union organizing drive is to gather support from workers and seek recognition from the employer as the representative of the employees for collective bargaining purposes. While funds may be necessary to support the organizing efforts, it is not the primary purpose.

Question 19

Employees might consider organizing and joining a union to be an effective alternative to quitting a job in which they feel they are being treated unfairly.

Accepted Answer

Joining a union may provide employees with collective bargaining power and the ability to negotiate better wages, benefits, and working conditions, rather than simply resigning and leaving the situation unresolved.

Question 20

Most of Canada's unionized workforce is under federal labour relations jurisdiction.

Accepted Answer

Most of Canada's unionized workforce falls under provincial or territorial jurisdiction, not federal. Each province and territory has its own labour relations board and legislation governing unionized workplaces, except for certain industries that are federally regulated.

Quiz 10: Understanding Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining