Exam 12: Dealing With Union and Employeemanagement Issues

Employees were striking at the local university last year. Very few students were crossing the picket line. In fact, the city's postal employees refused to deliver mail there claiming that they were honoring the strike for their fellow service union members. The postal employees were participating in a voluntary secondary boycott.

Amie was recently hired at Kreigmeister Industries as a repairperson. She was informed that if she chose not to join the union representing her fellow repair workers, she would still have to pay a fee to the union. Apparently, Kreigmeister operates under a(n):

_____________ is the demand for equal pay for jobs requiring similar levels of education, training, and skill.

The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) consists of:

As an employee of the human resource department of a major corporation, you are concerned about the potential costs of drug abuse. You are contemplating testing employees for substance abuse. Before adopting such tests, you should know that:

During the 1920s and early 1930s the Dallas Sheet Metal Shop was able to prevent workers from forming a union by requiring them to sign an employment contract in which they agreed not to join a union as a condition of employment. Dallas was making use of:

The concept of comparable worth holds that people who do jobs that require similar levels of education, training and skills should receive equal pay.

Exceptional Enterprises launched a program to evaluate the relative levels of skills, education, and training needed to perform various jobs. Based on the results of this evaluation, the firm intends to adjust pay scales so that jobs requiring similar levels of skills, abilities, and education will receive similar pay. Exceptional Enterprises' program is an attempt to deal with the issue of:

Management at Enomoto Enterprises has assigned Alberto to work at two different facilities, which will require him to commute an extra 25 miles on the days he must work at both plants. Alberto believes that the negotiated labor-management agreement requires the company to reimburse him for the extra mileage he has to drive. Management disagrees. Alberto has decided to file a charge that management is not abiding by the terms of the negotiated agreement. Alberto's complaint is called a grievance.

On-site childcare remains the only acceptable way for firms to meet the child care concerns of their employees.

The Wagner Act is best described as a(n):

The Taft-Hartley Act allowed states to pass laws that prohibited compulsory union membership.

The AFL (American Federation of Labor) was initially intended to be a single craft union.

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." -After gaining union representation, any workers with complaints regarding promotions, layoffs, and job assignments will file a(n) ________ with their shop steward.

Labor unions were largely responsible for:

The ___________ guaranteed union members the right to nominate candidates for union office and participate in union meetings.

The Industrial Revolution slowed the growth of unions by creating a rapidly rising standard of living for most workers.

A labor dispute between the AFL-CIO and Gainesville Brewery is into its eighth month. The AFL-CIO has called on its membership and the general public to refuse to purchase Gainesville products. The AFL-CIO is calling for a:

Under a(n) ___________ shop agreement, workers must belong to the union before they are hired.

According to business observers, which of the following is a reason for labor's decline?