Exam 12: Dealing With Union and Employeemanagement Issues

The workers at the Kerriton Company are unhappy with the way their union has been representing them. The Wagner Act allows these workers to take away the union's right to represent them through a process known as decertification.

Mini-Case The workers at Endrun Corporation are not affiliated with a union. Until recently, the workers felt they were well paid and treated fairly by the company, so they had little interest in seeking union representation. However, worker morale at Endrun has declined steadily since the board of directors fired the old CEO last year and replaced him with Ty Runt, a no-nonsense, autocratic manager with a reputation for cutting costs. As soon as he took over, Ty fired other members of the old top management team and replaced them with people who shared his views. Together, the new management team made a series of moves that did not sit well with Endrun's workers. First, they announced changes in work procedures designed to speed up the production line. Many workers complained that the new methods cut corners and were unsafe, but management refused to listen. A few months after changing work methods, the company told workers that it was reducing their health benefits. This led to even greater worker unrest. Finally, just a few weeks ago, workers received word that the wages of all production line employees would be cut by 6 percent. Many employees felt this was the last straw, especially since the company's board of directors recently approved big salary increases and more lucrative stock option plans for Ty and his management team. A spokesperson for the board explained that the raises were justified because of the management team's "outstanding efforts to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve the company's profits." Several disgruntled employees, led by Ima Striker and Boyd Cotter, now believe it is time to obtain union representation. Top managers at the company have hinted that workers who actively participate in the union campaign may be among the first workers laid off if the company decides to downsize. Ima and Boyd are not intimidated by these management threats. "I wish we didn't have to do this," Ima recently told many of her fellow workers at the plant. "But someone has to stop Ty Runt and his team from ruining our jobs." -The plant where Ima and Boyd work is located in Illinois, which does not have a right-to-work law. If the workers approve the union as their bargaining agent, Boyd wants to get the greatest union membership that is legally possible. Boyd is likely to push for a(n):

A craft union is an organization of skilled specialists in a particular craft or trade.

The was set up as a federation of many separate craft unions.

Yogi believes that an agency shop is the most desirable union security arrangement. Which of the following statements would be most likely to represent Yogi's views?

Historically, managers were less concerned about productivity and more concerned with friendly relations with coworkers.

Sexual harassment laws:

Courts will issue an injunction against union tactics only if management can show a "just cause" to restrict the union tactic.

Bellandro Bay Brewery union representatives and the company's management have reached an impasse. Going forward, the union has planning an organized strike and other tactics to put pressure on management where it will be most effective. Union supporters are being encouraged to avoid purchasing Bellandro's products. Now union leaders have contacted a variety of stores that stock Bellandro's Beer informing them that union members and other supporters will stop shopping at any store that continues to carry the brewery's beer until the dispute is resolved in the union's favor. This tactic against stores that carry Bellandro's Beer is called a primary boycott.

The U.S. Department of Labor cites as the third leading cause of job-related fatalities.

The AFL originally was a federation of craft unions that did not attempt to organize industrial unions. The main reason for this strategy was that:

The key difference between an agency shop agreement and an open shop agreement is that in an agency shop:

Under a union shop agreement, workers must belong to a union before they can be hired.

The emergence of has changed the nature of work and affected labor-management relations.

A union shop agreement is illegal in states that have passed right-to-work laws.

A(n) boycott is an illegal attempt by labor to convince others to stop doing business with a firm that does business with a company that is the subject of a primary boycott.

In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that primary boycotts are illegal.

The union movement in the United States was an outgrowth of the economic transition caused by the:

According to the Legal Briefcase box from Chapter 12 that highlighted the exorbitant salaries of some past company CEOs: When it is all said and done, restructuring compensation packages to be more equitable is in the hands of the companies themselves.

A(n) occurs when a union encourages its members and the general public not to buy the products of a firm involved in a labor dispute.