Deck 11: Public-Sector Issues

Question 1

Governments do not generate profit in the way private-sector employers do. Therefore, collective bargaining in the public sector is not subject to the same application of economic power as found in the private sector. What takes the place of economic power in public-sector bargaining?

A) strikes and lockouts
B) employee exit/voice
C) mediation-arbitration
D) politics and public opinion

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The political spectrum in the twenty-three countries that implemented the new public management policies began to narrow to include conservatives only.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What does the term "public good" mean?

A) a product the public creates itself
B) a good whose volume is not affected by usage
C) a durable good
D) a good the private sector chooses not to provide

Answer 3

B

Question 4

CUPE, Canada's current largest union, was created when two large municipal unions merged in the 1960s.

Question 5

The role of government has been changing from a neutral third party to a party of direct interest in Canada.

Question 6

Interest arbitration is used instead of striking in the no-strike model.

Question 7

The public-sector union density in Canada is steadily declining.

Question 8

What was the outcome of the dispute between the Quebec government and the Federation of healthcare professionals in 2010?

A) The Federation backed down from their demands.
B) The government imposed the same settlement other labour organizations achieved.
C) The Federation achieved a separate collective agreement for all healthcare professionals.
D) An independent arbitrator imposed a settlement that was a compromise for both sides.

Question 9

To whom does the statistic "collective bargaining coverage" apply?

A) all employed and unemployed individuals in a specific region
B) all unionized and nonunionized employees covered by a collective agreement
C) all workers in a company, including management employees and supervisors
D) only the exclusive employees that are part of a bargaining unit

Question 10

The unfettered-strike model seems to work best when services are essential.

Question 11

Interest arbitration is arbitration that deals with terms and conditions already in the current collective agreement.

Question 12

Which of the following is used to describe the application of a labour contract to both union and nonunion employees?

A) legal framework
B) mediation-arbitration
C) public good
D) collective agreement coverage

Question 13

Workers in which of the following sectors are represented by Canada's largest unions?

A) automotive manufacturing
B) municipal/provincial/federal government services
C) banking and financial services
D) transportation and communications

Question 14

What is the approximate union density in the Canadian public sector?

A) 50%
B) 60%
C) 70%
D) 80%

Question 15

How is public-sector collective bargaining legislation different from that in the private sector?

A) It limits pay increases to government budgets.
B) It applies to all government employees.
C) It restricts the scope of bargaining to employment conditions.
D) It removes government from direct bargaining as an employer.

Question 16

Which one of the following occurs during a public-sector strike or lockout?

A) the government gains revenue
B) public policy becomes an important factor in determining the outcome
C) replacement workers maintain public services
D) government is blamed for the labour conflict

Question 17

Evidence shows that the human resources practices of public-sector managers have been moving away from the practices of private-sector managers.

Question 18

What is the proportion of public-sector workers to private-sector workers in Canada?

A) 1:2
B) 1:3
C) 1:4
D) 1:5

Question 19

Final-offer arbitration is a variant of interest arbitration that is designed to reduce the chilling and narcotic effects.

Question 20

Contracting out is a form of privatization.

Question 21

The growth of unions in the public sector after 1960 replaced which of the following?

A) civil service associations
B) civil rights associations
C) industrial unions
D) craft unions

Question 22

What is a characteristic of socio-technical systems design?

A) reorganized operations accommodate collaboration
B) workers have limited responsibility
C) workers are substitutions for technological equipment
D) communication shifts away from supervisors to customers

Question 23

Under the designation model, the right to strike is accompanied by what other dispute resolution policy?

A) mediation-arbitration
B) provision for essential services
C) prohibition on lockouts
D) interest arbitration

Question 24

Which of the following is an innovation on "traditional collective bargaining?"

A) court challenging
B) job actions
C) conciliation
D) mediation-arbitration

Question 25

Mandatory third-party intervention in labour disputes, particularly when the right to strike is banned, often results in the parties being unable to reach an agreement. This finding presents support for which of the following?

A) interest arbitration model
B) designation model
C) unfettered-strike model
D) legislated outcomes

Question 26

What does new public management place a lot of emphasis on?

A) employee involvement
B) public-sector practices
C) private-sector practices and service provision
D) efficiency and production in the manufacturing sector

Question 27

What can be said about Canadian public-sector dispute resolution policies?

A) Essential services are seldom mentioned.
B) Bans on strikes are found across the country.
C) There is great variety in such policies.
D) Public interest has little influence on labour policy.

Question 28

Why were public-sector dispute resolution mechanisms created?

A) to encourage privatization
B) to manage wage increases
C) to prevent strikes
D) to replace arbitration

Question 29

What is the chilling effect?

A) bargaining that requires both parties make compromises
B) a lack of bargaining caused by bargaining in bad faith
C) limited bargaining caused by the parties' fear of making concessions
D) poor management-employee relations caused by a strike

Question 30

The unfettered-strike model commonly results in what type of dispute outcome?

A) back-to-work legislation
B) interest arbitration
C) conciliation
D) mediation-arbitration

Question 31

Which of the following accompanies a restriction on the right to strike in the public sector in Canada?

A) binding interest arbitration
B) unfettered ability to lock out
C) mandatory essential service clauses
D) innovative management practices

Question 32

Which profession best illustrates the variability of dispute resolution policies across Canadian jurisdictions?

A) doctors
B) teachers
C) police officers
D) firefighters

Question 33

What does the narcotic effect in collective bargaining involve?

A) the separation of two parties during arbitration
B) the increased dependency of parties on arbitration
C) the removal of arbitration as an outcome
D) the substitution of mediation for arbitration

Question 34

Social media such as Facebook and YouTube played an important role in communicating public opinion in a recent labour conflict at the Toronto Transit Commission. What was management's response to public criticism of unionized workers?

A) initiated consultation with the transit union executive
B) created a Facebook page to respond to the criticism
C) reprimands issued to employees who "worked to rule"
D) sent a memo making front-line staff responsible for customer service

Question 35

How did Canada try to restore economic balance during a time of debts and deficits?

A) by raising taxes to offset the deficits
B) by shifting to privatization in the public sector
C) by management cutting the costs of production
D) by completely eliminating some services

Question 36

Which of the following contribute to the power of public-sector unions?

A) substitution of union workers is easy
B) demand for services is relatively elastic
C) public can punish both employer and union
D) suspension of services may endanger the public

Question 37

What is the role of government in collective bargaining with public-sector unions in Canada?

A) a neutral third party and employer
B) protects and supports the union and its members
C) mediates between public- and private-sector unions
D) is excluded from bargaining matters

Question 38

Traditionally, public-sector bargaining was opposed out of fear that public-sector workers would have too much bargaining power. What was seen as the basis for this power?

A) citizens' ability to punish only the employer for service disruption
B) the popular use of public services in parks and recreation
C) variable demand for public services across the country
D) labour costs are a small part of public service costs

Question 39

Which of the following sectors is usually considered to have inordinate public interest because an interruption of the service can be threatening?

A) construction
B) publishing
C) transportation
D) manufacturing

Question 40

Which of the following contributed significantly to the growth of public-sector unions in the 1960s and 1970s?

A) employer opposition
B) union mergers
C) public apathy
D) 40-hour work week movement

Question 41

What is the designation model of dispute resolution in the public sector in Canada?

Question 42

What are Marshall's conditions of elasticity? How do they relate to the power of unions?

Question 43

A study of municipal government efforts at privatization revealed that unionized cities attracted more privatization proposals. What strategy used by unions in these municipalities was most effective at rejecting privatization?

A) adjustment policies
B) management resistance
C) industrial action
D) suggestions for alternatives

Question 44

According to Swimmer (2001), which of the following is a restraint policy that Canadian governments could use in response to high unionization rates?

A) downgrade the working conditions of managers
B) downgrade the working conditions of unionized employees
C) avoid asking for wage concessions from unionized employees
D) use legislation to improve wages and benefits

Question 45

Define and explain the four generations of public-sector bargaining.

Question 46

Name three factors that account for the rise of public-sector unions in the 1960s.

Question 47

What happened to the number of union memberships in the period from 2005 to 2010 as a result of the privatization of some occupations in the public sector?

A) Union membership in the public sector decreased dramatically.
B) Union membership in the private sector increased dramatically.
C) Union membership in the public sector increased slightly.
D) Union membership in the private sector increased slightly.

Question 48

Describe and explain "monopsony," and give an example of it in the labour market.

Question 49

What do statistics show about unions' most popular reaction to privatization?

A) They responded proactively to reduce adverse effects.
B) They responded by striking and/or using worker slowdowns.
C) They responded by going to court and/or arbitration.
D) They responded creatively by offering alternatives.

Question 50

Which factor makes it difficult to achieve innovative work practices in the public sector?

A) complex bureaucracy with many levels of job classifications
B) smaller, inactive union representation
C) lack of experimentation
D) numerous changes in political leaders