Deck 1: Introduction to Labour Relations

Question 1

Without a union,the employment relationship would be governed exclusively by agreements between employers and individual employees.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

It is possible for collective agreements to provide less notice of termination to employees than the common law reasonable notice period.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The courts have the authority to order employers to reinstate non-union employees who have been wrongfully dismissed.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A unionized employer must give members of the bargaining unit reasonable notice to terminate them.

Question 5

A systems approach to labour relations refers to the industrial relationship,parties,processes,and outputs.

Question 6

There is a consensus on the meaning of the terms industrial relations and labour relations.

Question 7

After an employer has been unionized an employee in the bargaining unit cannot make an agreement with the employer providing for additional vacation time.

Question 8

Human resource managers and labour relations specialists may have a different perspective on unions.

Question 9

The issue of improving health and safety in the workplace is within the domain of industrial relations.

Question 10

Collective bargaining refers exclusively to the negotiation of a contact between the union and the employer.

Question 11

When employees are not represented by a union the employment relationship is governed by the contract between the parties,common law,and employment legislation.

Question 12

Some human resource managers use the terms industrial relations and labour relations interchangeably.

Question 13

Unionization affects the profitability but not the productivity of employers.

Question 14

Unions have equal strength and importance in all provinces.

Question 15

Labour relations are important because they affect both union and non-union employees.

Question 16

Labour relations is defined as the study of all aspects of the union-management relationship.

Question 17

Constructive dismissal means that an employer could not reduce an employee's pay by 15% unless the employee consented.

Question 18

The processes in labour relations refer only to joint union-management activities such as contract negotiations.

Question 19

"Wrongful dismissal" means that an employer must have a valid reason to terminate an employee.

Question 20

There are studies indicating that unionized employees have lower job satisfaction than non-union employees.

Question 21

Some employers and unions have attempted to move to a more collaborative relationship by agreeing that contract disputes will not be resolved through strikes.

Question 22

A systems framework for labour relations contains five elements: the parties,processes,the environment,outputs,and feedback.

Question 23

A political economy approach to labour relations emphasizes which of the following?

A) conflict between employer and employee interests
B) a web of rules
C) an ideology shared by employers and unions
D) government intervention
E) the values of employers and unions

Question 24

A unionized employee has access to which of the following legal procedures and remedies?

A) a suit for constructive dismissal
B) a suit for wrongful dismissal
C) reinstatement ordered by an arbitrator
D) reinstatement ordered by a judge
E) damages awarded by a judge for the breach of the collective agreement

Question 25

Which of the following is not part of the external environment affecting labour relations:

A) grievance process
B) free trade agreements
C) globalization
D) the rate of inflation
E) human rights legislation

Question 26

Which of the following is correct regarding the environment component in a systems approach to labour relations?

A) environmental factors do not effect each other
B) outputs are an element of the system
C) an ideology that binds the system together is an element of the system
D) the distribution of power in society is an element of the system
E) unions and employers may attempt to influence or change their environment

Question 27

Which of the following is not correct regarding feedback in a systems framework for labour relations:

A) Experience with a process could result in a party seeking to change the process.
B) The feedback affects only the actors and processes in the system.
C) Outputs of the labour relations system affect the processes used by the parties.
D) Outputs of the labour relations system affect the objectives of the parties.
E) Outputs of the labour relations system affect the economy.

Question 28

Which of the following is not included in a systems approach to labour relations?

A) actors
B) the environment
C) processes engaged in by the actors
D) outputs
E) distribution of power in society

Question 29

The environmental factors affecting labour relations refer exclusively to the economy,technology,and legal issues.

Question 30

Dunlop's model of industrial relations systems contains which of the following as elements?

A) the distribution of power in society
B) the context for the system
C) conflict between employers and employees
D) workplace democracy
E) political economy

Question 31

The process component in a systems approach to labour relations includes which of the following?

A) unilateral action by management
B) unilateral action by unions
C) the environment
D) a and b
E) a and c

Question 32

Countries with higher rates of unionization tend to have lower economic inequality.

Question 33

Company A is reducing production because of a decrease in demand for its product.When the company reduces the size of its unionized workforce,which of the following is correct?

A) the union must be given reasonable notice
B) employees must be given reasonable notice
C) employees must be given the notice provided for in the collective agreement
D) younger employees must be laid off first
E) employees cannot be terminated unless the union consents

Question 34

When a union represents employees:

A) Individual employees can negotiate terms of employment provided that the terms are better than the terms of the collective agreement.
B) Employers are obligated to give reasonable notice when terminating employees.
C) Disputes between the union and the employer are resolved in the courts.
D) Employee job security is reduced.
E) A termination of an employee could be overturned by an arbitrator.

Question 35

The unionization of employees is the least likely to affect which of the following?

A) job satisfaction of employees
B) costs of operations for the employer
C) job security for employees
D) the reasonable notice employees are entitled to
E) investment decisions made by the employer

Question 36

The unionization of employees at Company A is the least likely to affect:

A) Company A's compensation costs
B) Company A's productivity
C) job satisfaction of employees at Company A
D) employment standards legislation affecting Company A
E) Company A's policies and procedures relating to employee dispute resolution

Question 37

Labour Relations in Canada are viewed as being co-operative in nature.

Question 38

The legal environment hinders collaboration between employers and unions because it provides that unions cannot agree to give up the right to strike.

Question 39

A systems framework for labour relations has the following elements:

A) parties, contract negotiation, the environment, outcomes, and feedback
B) the environment, parties, processes, outcomes, and feedback
C) parties, processes, the environment, outcomes, and legislation
D) parties, processes, feedback, and outcomes
E) the environment, parties, processes, outcomes, and collective agreements

Question 40

Labour relations is defined as the study of:

A) employment in union and non-union organizations
B) all aspects of the union-management relationship
C) the negotiation and administration of collective agreements
D) methods to improve union-management relations
E) compensation in unionized workplaces

Question 41

Which of the following is correct regarding the issue of employer and union collaboration?

A) the legal environment may hinder collaboration
B) the labour relations system is viewed as being collaborative
C) collaboration is universally accepted as being good for both parties
D) collaboration is part of the political economy approach to labour relations
E) collaboration is an essential component in a systems approach to labour relations

Question 42

Describe the elements of a systems framework for labour relations.

Question 43

Describe the differences in the relationship between employers and employees in non-union and unionized environments.

Question 44

Two of the elements of a systems approach to labour relations are the actors and the processes or activities the actors engage in.Identify the actors in the system and describe the processes that each one could be engaged in.

Question 45

Describe the outputs of a systems approach to labour relations.

Question 46

Some of the employees of an organization have been unionized.Explain three ways that the employer could be affected.

Question 47

Describe the environmental factors that could affect labour relations.

Question 48

Which of the following is correct regarding a systems framework for labour relations?

A) It establishes that employers are the key actor in labour relations.
B) It minimizes the importance of environmental factors.
C) It establishes that contract negotiation is the only process involved in labour relations.
D) It illustrates that the components of the system are self-contained.
E) It illustrates that there are numerous results or outputs.

Question 49

The values and beliefs of the Canadian public are part of:

A) the legal environment
B) social environment
C) political environment
D) technological environment
E) economic environment

Question 50

Discuss the following statement: Labour relations are important for employers,employees,and society.