Exam 12: Dealing With Union and Employeemanagement Issues

Postal workers and other employees of the federal government who provide important services are allowed to form unions, but are denied the right to strike.

"Quid pro quo" sexual harassment occurs when a person's conduct creates an offensive, hostile, or intimidating work environment that adversely affects the job performance of some other employee.

Renee discovered that a male coworker at the hospital where they both work is paid $1.50 per hour more than she is even though they have the same job title, have similar qualifications, and have been employed the same length of time. Unfortunately for Renee, it is legal for the hospital to pay different salaries to different workers who perform the same job.

At Play-it-Safe Pharmaceuticals Company, a maker of sunscreen products, the union reps strongly discouraged the firm's union employees from buying the company's products during the forthcoming summer season. Recently, they also took out an ad with an important message for consumers: "Don't give Play-it-Safe your money. They don't share it with their employees!" These actions describe:

Today, women earn close to ________ of what men earn, though the disparity varies considerably by profession and the level of education.

The two major influences on the growth of unions in the U.S. were:

A mediator has the power to impose a binding settlement on labor and management.

The National Labor Relations Act gave labor the legal justification to pursue collective bargaining and other key labor issues.

The Taft-Hartley Act gave more power to management.

_________ sexual harassment refers to situations in which an employee's submission to unwanted conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment or is used to influence employment decisions affecting the worker's job status.

Most historians view the increase in union membership in the United States as an outgrowth of the transition from an industrial economy to a service economy during the middle part of the 20th century.

Despite a 1938 Supreme Court ruling allowing their use, ___________ were seldom used by management during labor-management disputes until the 1980s.

The Taft-Hartley Act strengthened unions by giving them the right to engage in featherbedding and secondary boycotts.

When union members who have a dispute with a company walk around outside the firm's place of business carrying signs and talking to the media and public about their concerns, they are using a tactic known as:

In a union shop:

Collective bargaining is the process whereby union and management representatives negotiate a labor-management agreement, or contract, for workers.

The Norris-LaGuardia Act prohibits firms from requiring workers to agree not to join a union as a condition of their employment.

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." -If management tries to threaten or punish Ima and Boyd for their efforts to gain union representation, the two workers could ask the ____________ to investigate these unfair labor practices.

The presence of formal labor organizations in the United States dates back to the late 1700s.

Union membership has declined in recent years. What has led to this decline and what can unions do to turn this trend around?