Exam 12: Dealing With Employee-Management Issues and Relationships

According to Sandra Timmermann,Director of Met Life's Mature Market Institute,the key job-related issue of the next decade will be:

Arbitration and mediation are alike in that both involve an impartial third party to help in the negotiation process.The differences in these two approaches is that an arbitrator's decision is binding - both parties agree to this on the front end;a mediator encourages the two conflicting parties to continue to negotiate and may make suggestions in pursuit of a resolution.

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

Under _______,workers are not required to join the union,but those who do not join are still required to pay a union fee or regular dues to the union.

Union leaders at the Baadfathe Corporation are furious.Although the union's certified by the NLRB,its negotiating team has had little success in getting management to meet with them to work on a new labor contract.In fact,during the last 3 months,the management team has agreed to meet only twice,once on a weekend,and the other time after 8:00 p.m.Even during those two meetings,the management team was unwilling to offer serious proposals.Baadfathe's management team should review the legal rights of union members to participate in collective bargaining,as provided under the:

At the Grenchit Corporation the union and management have not been able to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on a grievance.The two sides have agreed to bring in a(n)_________ who will examine the evidence and arguments on both sides and issue a binding decision.

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(n)___________ is a court order directing someone to do something or to refrain from doing something.

A union is an employee organization that has the main goal of representing its members in employee-management negotiation concerning job-related issues.

Elder care costs are likely to remain a major issue for businesses for many years.

Dr.Kwan,a professor at a local university,has been working with the union leaders and management at Empire Corporation to help the two sides resolve differences over desired wage levels for a new contract.First,he met with each side privately to determine any common ground for agreement.For the past week,he has worked with representatives from each side to promote communication and compromise at the bargaining table.Dr.Kwan is a(n):

Labor unions played a major role in establishing minimum wage laws,child-labor laws,and improvements in job safety.

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

The justification for dues or fees paid by nonunion members to the union in a(n)_________ shop is that the union represents all workers in collective bargaining,not just those who belong to the union.

In a(n)__________ shop,workers do not have to belong to a union before they are hired,but they must join a union within a specified period (usually 30,60,or 90 days)in order to keep their job.

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

Which of the following statements about collective bargaining is most consistent with the views of Samuel Gompers?

Which of the following topics is generally covered in a negotiated labor-management agreement?

One way the Teamsters Union plans to increase membership is by reaching out to women in traditionally non-union occupations like health care.

Over the next decade costs associated with elder care are likely to have a much smaller impact on businesses than child-care costs.