Question 1

Union membership as a percent of the nonagricultural labor force ____ in 1970 to approximately ____ in 2010.

Accepted Answer

A) fell from approximately 30 percent; 12 percent 
B) rose from approximately 15 percent; 22 percent 
C) fell from more than 40 percent; 10 percent 
D) rose from approximately 8 percent; 40 percent 
A) fell from approximately 30 percent; 12 percent 
B) rose from approximately 15 percent; 22 percent 
C) fell from more than 40 percent; 10 percent 
D) rose from approximately 8 percent; 40 percent

Question 2

Which of the following states had the highest incidence of union membership as a percent of all wage and salary workers in 2010?

Accepted Answer

A) New York 
B) Arkansas 
C) North Carolina 
D) California 
A) New York 
B) Arkansas 
C) North Carolina 
D) California

Question 3

Why is it that the airline pilots union will likely be stronger and more effective than the fruit pickers union?

Accepted Answer

First, airline pilots possess a highly s

Question 4

From 1950 to 2008, union membership has declined from more than 30 percent of the workforce to approximately 12 percent. Over this period, the share of national income going to labor

Accepted Answer

A) declined substantially. 
B) increased substantially. 
C) remained approximately the same. 
D) initially increased but has fallen recently. 
A) declined substantially. 
B) increased substantially. 
C) remained approximately the same. 
D) initially increased but has fallen recently.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a cause of the decline in unionization in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) deregulation in transportation and communication industries 
B) increased foreign competition 
C) growth in the number of smaller firms 
D) an increase in the number of workers wishing to be union members 
A) deregulation in transportation and communication industries 
B) increased foreign competition 
C) growth in the number of smaller firms 
D) an increase in the number of workers wishing to be union members

Question 6

A strike, or the threat of one, is most likely to be effective when

Accepted Answer

A) demand for the firm's product is strong. 
B) foreign competition for the product is high. 
C) the firm has a high product inventory. 
D) demand for the product produced by the union workers is highly elastic. 
A) demand for the firm's product is strong. 
B) foreign competition for the product is high. 
C) the firm has a high product inventory. 
D) demand for the product produced by the union workers is highly elastic.

Question 7

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Women are more highly unionized than men. 
B) A higher percent of white workers belong to unions than do African-American workers. 
C) The proportion of government employees belonging to a union is substantially higher than the proportion of private-sector workers who are union members. 
D) There is little difference in incidence of unionization among occupational categories. 
A) Women are more highly unionized than men. 
B) A higher percent of white workers belong to unions than do African-American workers. 
C) The proportion of government employees belonging to a union is substantially higher than the proportion of private-sector workers who are union members. 
D) There is little difference in incidence of unionization among occupational categories.

Question 8

Data on the relationship between the percentage of the workforce unionized and the share of national income allocated to labor suggest that unionization has

Accepted Answer

A) greatly altered the labor-capital distribution of national income. 
B) increased the share of national income allocated to labor. 
C) had a positive effect on the wages of nonunion workers. 
D) had no significant impact on the share of income going to labor. 
A) greatly altered the labor-capital distribution of national income. 
B) increased the share of national income allocated to labor. 
C) had a positive effect on the wages of nonunion workers. 
D) had no significant impact on the share of income going to labor.

Question 9

Which of the following will limit the ability of a union to push the wages of its members much above competitive levels?

Accepted Answer

A) the presence of nonunion firms that produce the same product as the unionized labor 
B) foreign competition in the market for the product produced by the unionized labor 
C) a highly elastic demand for the product supplied by the unionized labor 
D) all of the above 
A) the presence of nonunion firms that produce the same product as the unionized labor 
B) foreign competition in the market for the product produced by the unionized labor 
C) a highly elastic demand for the product supplied by the unionized labor 
D) all of the above

Question 10

Union membership will be more attractive from the worker's viewpoint if

Accepted Answer

A) the demand for the union labor is highly inelastic. 
B) the supply of union labor is highly elastic. 
C) only a few of the firms in the industry are unionized. 
D) the membership dues charged by the union are extremely high. 
A) the demand for the union labor is highly inelastic. 
B) the supply of union labor is highly elastic. 
C) only a few of the firms in the industry are unionized. 
D) the membership dues charged by the union are extremely high.

Question 11

Which of the following factors will reduce considerably the ability of a union to raise the wages of its workers?

Accepted Answer

A) an elastic demand for the goods produced by union labor 
B) weak foreign competition for the product union labor helps to produce 
C) high tariffs on goods produced by the union labor 
D) favoritism in the allocation of government contracts to firms that employ union labor 
A) an elastic demand for the goods produced by union labor 
B) weak foreign competition for the product union labor helps to produce 
C) high tariffs on goods produced by the union labor 
D) favoritism in the allocation of government contracts to firms that employ union labor

Question 12

Which of the following factors will reduce considerably the ability of a union to raise the wages of its workers?

Accepted Answer

A) an elastic demand for the goods produced by union labor 
B) a five-year apprenticeship before one can qualify for jobs held by union members 
C) high tariffs on goods produced by the union labor 
D) favoritism in the allocation of government contracts to firms that employ union labor 
A) an elastic demand for the goods produced by union labor 
B) a five-year apprenticeship before one can qualify for jobs held by union members 
C) high tariffs on goods produced by the union labor 
D) favoritism in the allocation of government contracts to firms that employ union labor

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the channels through which a union may raise wages?

Accepted Answer

A) supply restrictions 
B) increasing the demand for union labor 
C) more competitive product pricing 
D) bargaining power 
A) supply restrictions 
B) increasing the demand for union labor 
C) more competitive product pricing 
D) bargaining power

Question 14

An increase in the percentage of the labor force that is unionized will cause average wages for all workers to rise because

Accepted Answer

A) union labor is more productive. 
B) profit levels are lowered to increase wages. 
C) strike threats promote wage increases. 
D) This is a trick question because greater unionization does not imply higher average wages. 
A) union labor is more productive. 
B) profit levels are lowered to increase wages. 
C) strike threats promote wage increases. 
D) This is a trick question because greater unionization does not imply higher average wages.

Exam 25: Appendix: Do Labor Unions Increase the Wages of Workers

Union membership as a percent of the nonagricultural labor force ____ in 1970 to approximately ____ in 2010.

Which of the following states had the highest incidence of union membership as a percent of all wage and salary workers in 2010?

Why is it that the airline pilots union will likely be stronger and more effective than the fruit pickers union?

From 1950 to 2008, union membership has declined from more than 30 percent of the workforce to approximately 12 percent. Over this period, the share of national income going to labor

Which of the following is not a cause of the decline in unionization in the United States?

A strike, or the threat of one, is most likely to be effective when

Which of the following is true?

Data on the relationship between the percentage of the workforce unionized and the share of national income allocated to labor suggest that unionization has

Which of the following will limit the ability of a union to push the wages of its members much above competitive levels?

Union membership will be more attractive from the worker's viewpoint if

Which of the following factors will reduce considerably the ability of a union to raise the wages of its workers?

Which of the following factors will reduce considerably the ability of a union to raise the wages of its workers?

Which of the following is not one of the channels through which a union may raise wages?

An increase in the percentage of the labor force that is unionized will cause average wages for all workers to rise because

The Economic Approach

A: Some Tools of the Economist

B: Some Tools of the Economist

A: Supply, Demand, and the Market Process

B: Supply, Demand, and the Market Process

A: Supply and Demand: Applications and Extensions

B: Supply and Demand: Applications and Extensions

Difficult Cases for the Market and the Role of Government

The Economics of Collective Decision-Making

Consumer Choice and Elasticity

A: Costs and the Supply of Goods

B: Costs and the Supply of Goods

A: Price Takers and the Competitive Process

B: Price Takers and the Competitive Process

Price-Searcher Markets With Low Entry Barriers

A: Price-Searcher Markets With High Entry Barriers

B: Price-Searcher Markets With High Entry Barriers

The Supply of and Demand for Productive Resources

Earnings, Productivity, and the Job Market

Investment, the Capital Market, and the Wealth of Nations

Income Inequality and Poverty

Appendix: Government Spending and Taxation

Appendix: the Economics of Social Security

Appendix: the Stock Market: Its Function, Performance, and Potential As an Investment Opportunity

Appendix: Great Debates in Economics: Keynes Versus Hayek

Appendix: the Crisis of 2008: Causes and Lessons for the Future

Appendix: Lessons From the Great Depression

Appendix: the Economics of Healthcare

Appendix:education: Problems and Performance

Appendix: Earnings Differences Between Men and Women

Appendix: the Question of Resource Exhaustion

Appendix: Difficult Environmental Cases and the Role of Government

Filters

Union membership as a percent of the nonagricultural labor force in 1970 to approximately in 2010.