Question 1

American jobs have been lost in major industries, such as the automobile, steel, textile, footwear, and consumer electronics, whereas jobs in the aircraft, computers, entertainment, and finance industries have increased.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true as many jobs have been lost in the traditional manufacturing industries such as automobile, steel, textile, footwear, and consumer electronics, while jobs in newer sectors such as aircraft, computers, entertainment, and finance have increased.

Question 2

Collective bargaining in South America is far more common and unions are more sophisticated than in the United States.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 3

The majority of Mexican collective bargaining agreements contain a protection clause that protects employers from having to deal with a more demanding union.

Accepted Answer

This is known as a "protection contract" and is common in Mexico. It is meant to give employers control over the union and prevent workers from seeking higher wages or better working conditions.

Question 4

Given the high costs involved, evidence indicates that it is relatively rare for MNCs to shift production to other countries in order to intimidate local unions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Given the high costs involved, evidence indicates...

Question 5

The majority of all workers in the United States are protected against termination without cause.

Accepted Answer

In most states, employment is at-will, which means that the employer can fire an employee for any reason or no reason at all, as long as it is not discriminatory or retaliatory. However, there are certain exceptions to this, such as when an employee has a contract or is part of a union that provides protections against termination without cause. Additionally, some states have specific laws or court decisions that limit an employer's ability to terminate employees without cause.

Question 6

Pressure on a MNC by a local union strike may be reduced because MNC operations in other countries continue to generate products and profits.

Accepted Answer

If a local union strike puts pressure on the operations of a multinational corporation (MNC) in one country, the MNC can still continue to generate products and profits in other countries. This reduces the impact of the strike on the overall profitability and operations of the MNC.

Question 7

In Australia, the Workplace Relations Act of 1996 (WRA) introduced individual contracts called Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) which enhanced ''choice'' by placing individual and collective agreements on an equal footing.

Accepted Answer

The Workplace Relations Act of 1996 introduced individual contracts called Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) which aimed to enhance employees' choice by giving individual and collective agreements equal footing.

Question 8

There is no such thing as a "right-to-work law" in Canada.

Accepted Answer

Right-to-work laws are a feature of labour relations in the United States, and are not present in Canada.

Question 9

A number of large MNCs are so enormous that their sales are frequently larger than the entire economy of the countries in which they conduct business.

Accepted Answer

This is true for some of the largest MNCs in the world, such as Walmart and Amazon, whose sales are larger than the entire GDP of many countries.

Question 10

As a result of NAFTA, real wages have grown rapidly for Mexican workers.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that while NAFTA did lead to an increase in the Mexican economy, real wages did not grow rapidly for Mexican workers. In fact, some studies suggest that wages may have even decreased for certain sectors of the workforce.

Question 11

Hourly compensation costs in the United States exceed those of most countries in Western Europe.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Hourly compensation costs in the United States...

Question 12

Unions and corporations in the United States have a substantial influence on labor relations in Canada.

Accepted Answer

Unions and corporations in the United States often set precedents for labor practices and policies that can influence labor relations in Canada. Additionally, some American unions have affiliations with Canadian unions, allowing for cross-border coordination and solidarity. Meanwhile, many American corporations have subsidiaries or operations in Canada, leading to shared labor issues and bargaining strategies.

Question 13

In Germany, "codetermination" provides works councils with rights to information and consultation on subjects such as manpower planning, change in work processes, working environment, and job content.

Accepted Answer

This is a correct statement. Codetermination in Germany refers to the practice of providing works councils with the right to participate in decision-making processes and be consulted on a range of workplace issues, including those mentioned above.

Question 14

In Great Britain, labor unions have substantial power because companies are compelled to negotiate with them by law.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Great Britain, labor unions have substantial...

Question 15

Highly developed, sophisticated patterns of labor relations, such as those in Germany, have spread rapidly and are now commonplace in Russia and other former states of the U.S.S.R.

Accepted Answer

Highly developed and sophisticated patterns of labor relations have not necessarily spread rapidly and are not commonplace in Russia and other former states of the U.S.S.R. The labor relations systems in these countries may still be in development or may be influenced by different cultural and political factors.

Question 16

Unions in Cuba represent a broad array of constituents including current workers, retired pensioners, and even the unemployed.

Accepted Answer

Unions in Cuba are unique in that they represent a wide range of people, not just current workers. They also represent retired pensioners and the unemployed.

Question 17

Organized labor in the United States is generally supportive of MNCs because they believe that MNCs improve wages for workers in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

Organized labor in the United States is generally critical of MNCs because they believe that MNCs exploit workers and undermine labor standards in the U.S. and in developing countries where many MNCs operate.

Question 18

Unionization in most Western Europe countries is far more widespread than in the United States.

Accepted Answer

Unionization rates in most Western Europe countries are higher than in the United States, with some countries having rates above 90%. In contrast, the unionization rate in the United States has been steadily declining and was 10.3% in 2019.

Question 19

Transnational collective bargaining will be commonplace in the near future because international labor organizations are so well organized and active in coordinating with one another.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Transnational collective bargaining will be commonplace in...

Question 20

Employees of all private firms in Japan are guaranteed lifetime employment.

Accepted Answer

Lifetime employment is not guaranteed for all private firm employees in Japan. While some large companies may offer it as a tradition, the majority of firms have moved towards more flexible employment practices in recent years.

Quiz 14: Labor Relations in Multinational Corporations and in Other Countries