Exam 12: Dealing With Employee-Management Issues and Relationships

Samuel Gompers believed that ___________ was the key to attaining a fairer share of the economic pie for American workers.

Since violence in the workplace rarely results in severe injury,it is likely not to be much of a problem in the future.

The Industrial Revolution was characterized by a(n):

The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were actually very similar in their aims,tactics,and membership.The only major difference was in the effectiveness of their leaders.

The vast majority of grievances filed by union members are negotiated and resolved by shop stewards and supervisory managers.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1938 that employers had the right to hire strikebreakers.

In the Making Ethical Decisions box,students are asked to consider what they would do if they had the opportunity to be employed as a strikebreaker,at a company where friends and family were currently out of work and on strike.If they choose to do so,they are immediately hired as full-time workers.

A(n)________ is an employee organization that represents workers in employee-management bargaining over job-related issues.

"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.

The sources of many grievances include overtime rules,promotions,layoffs,and job assignments.

When AT&T anticipated that 20,000 mobility workers were planning to strike to show their solidarity against concerns of unfair compensation,management was already calling staffing agents to temporarily employ persons to cover for striking employees.Traditionally,these workers are called __________.

Although child-care concerns have become a pressing issue for many employees,most firms have been unable to find acceptable solutions to these concerns.

The subject "Who pays for child care when the parent(s)works?" is

A yellow-dog contract required workers to agree not to join a union as a condition of their employment.

Jian is a well-known professor of labor relations at a major university.She recently was asked by representatives of labor and management at a nearby corporation to help them resolve a disagreement that threatened to cause a breakdown in negotiations.If Jian agrees to help,her role will be to encourage both parties to continue negotiating and to offer constructive advice and suggestions,but she will not have the authority to render a binding decision.Jian's role is that of a mediator.

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 NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)has created procedures that union advocates must follow in order to organize a union at a place of business.The multi-step procedure culminates with a secret vote by the employees of the organization.

Samuel Gompers believed that collective bargaining was likely to be an ineffective way for unions to achieve their objectives.

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):

The first federal minimum wage was established by the: