Deck 15: Unionmanagement Relations

Question 1

Which of the following most closely represents union density in Canada?

A)40 percent
B)30 percent
C)43 percent
D)24 percent

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A union is a formal association of workers that promotes the interests of its members. Through which of the following ways does the union promote member interests?

A)intervention by impartial third parties between employees and management
B)collective action
C)the grievance procedure
D)political influence

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Unions in Canada have typically focused on different matters than some global unions. Which of the following is the main Canadian focus?

A)achieving worker solidarity
B)addressing economic issues
C)maintaining due process for all workers
D)increasing industrial democracy

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the name of the central labour body in Canada?

A)Canadian Industrial Congress
B)Canadian Union Federation
C)Canadian Federation of Labour
D)Canadian Labour Congress

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an example of an alternative employee representation model?

A)professional organizations
B)non-union staff association to represent managers
C)union representation on an employer's board of directors
D)company-based plans that are substitutes for a union

Question 6

Several reasons account for the trend in Canada for unions to merge with one another. Which of the following is one of these reasons?

A)effort to increase union density in Canada
B)changes in legislation to favour larger unions
C)members' demand for improved delivery of services
D)tax advantages of a larger membership base

Question 7

Which of the following titles applies to the employee of a unionized company who becomes the elected first-line representative of unionized workers?

A)union organizer
B)business agent
C)union steward
D)member representative

Question 8

Union representatives sometimes serve on the company's board of directors. Which of the following is the name of that practice?

A)collusion
B)cooperation
C)co-determination
D)co-optation.

Question 9

Monica has a full-time job operating the union office and helping union members. She takes part in negotiating contracts and promotes unionization in non-union workplaces. Which of the following union roles is Monica fulfilling?

A)chief negotiator
B)business agent
C)president
D)steward

Question 10

Which of the following structures refers to a group of autonomous national and international unions?

A)council
B)federation
C)conference
D)congress

Question 11

Which of the following factors primarily determines whether employees will unionize?

A)the organization's management
B)actions by union organizers
C)the federal government
D)economic pressures

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an example of a factor leading to unionization?

A)arbitrary management decision making
B)non-competitive pay
C)political convictions
D)poor working conditions

Question 13

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes approaches to bargaining?

A)In Canada, a collective bargaining agreement is considered a contract in name only.
B)In Canada, unions focus on political power as much as they do on economic issues.
C)In the United States the trend is toward tripartite bargaining.
D)In some countries, national unions bargain with the government or with employer groups.

Question 14

Which of the following best explains what union density is?

A)the proportion of union members to the total workforce
B)the proportion of private-sector union members to public-sector union members
C)the proportion of paid workers who belong to unions and have signed union membership cards
D)the proportion of private-sector unions to public-sector unions

Question 15

Which of the following phrases explains the relationship between national and international unions and federations?

A)not governed by a federation, but affiliated with one
B)not affiliated with a federation
C)governed by a federation
D)not governed by a federation and independent of one

Question 16

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation is an association for teachers who all do the same sort of work and often draw upon specialized skills and training. Which of these structures does the federation have?

A)industrial union
B)apprenticeship guild
C)membership guild
D)craft union

Question 17

In the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, all members work in the postal service. Which of the following is the type of union that represents the postal workers?

A)labourers'
B)craft
C)industrial
D)company

Question 18

Which of the following activities is NOT a function of a local union?

A)attending federation meetings
B)organizing members
C)educating members
D)negotiating the collective agreement

Question 19

When it comes to labour relations, which of these responsibilities belongs to the HR unit?

A)administering the labour agreement on a daily basis
B)resolving grievances and problems between management and employees
C)avoiding unfair labour practices during organizing efforts
D)monitoring the climate for unionization and union relationships

Question 20

Which of the following responsibilities related to labour relations do managers have?

A)dealing with union organizing attempts at the company level
B)helping negotiate the labour agreements
C)administering the labour agreement on a daily basis
D)monitoring the climate for unionization and union relationships

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT an approved model for resolving negotiation impasses in the public sector?

A)controlled strike
B)unrestricted right-to-strike
C)interest arbitration
D)restrictive strike

Question 22

Employees who are eligible to select a union to represent and bargain collectively for them compose a unit. Which type of unit is it?

A)common
B)bargaining
C)contract
D)negotiating

Question 23

The top management of Premier Manufacturing is concerned about the high labour costs of its unionized workforce. Management has formed a committee to investigate the benefits of moving its plant to Canada's most business-friendly province. Which province is it?

A)Alberta
B)Saskatchewan
C)British Columbia
D)Manitoba

Question 24

Which of the following refers to a strategy intended to improve employment terms, such as compensation?

A)commercial unionism
B)social unionism
C)political unionism
D)business unionism

Question 25

The labour board is ultimately responsible for determining an appropriate bargaining unit. Which of the following possible factors will NOT affect its decision?

A)physical location of employee groups
B)wages, hours, and working conditions
C)traditional industry bargaining groupings
D)age and gender of employees

Question 26

The union organizing campaign at VegFoods has been intense. Neither the union nor the company feels that the election is a sure victory for it. Every vote cast by the 400 employees in the bargaining unit is critical. At the end of the election, only 300 employees have voted. How many votes do the unionizers need in order to win?

A)201
B)200
C)151
D)150

Question 27

The decline in union membership has been attributed to several factors. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the decline?

A)higher unemployment
B)deregulation
C)union militancy
D)foreign competition

Question 28

Which of the following actions is NOT part of typical unionization efforts?

A)seeking rights arbitration
B)holding in-house election
C)organizing campaign
D)negotiating contract

Question 29

Suppose that employees are in the midst of a unionization effort. Which of the following actions would be an example of an unfair labour practice by the employer?

A)telling employees the disadvantages of having a union
B)making a change in the organization's operation for the proper conduct of business
C)promising employees pay increases if they vote against the union
D)disciplining an employee for proper cause

Question 30

The management of Pilot Processing Ltd. is in a state of shock. Pro-union materials have been found in the company cafeteria. In an emergency meeting, top management is brainstorming which union may be targeting the employees, so that the company can prepare its response. The executives, however, have forgotten the other primary way unionizing can begin. Which of the following is the second main way to launch the process?

A)receiving an order from the Labour Relations Board
B)developing an internal company union without external ties to organized labour
C)seeking out a union and asking for help in being unionized
D)"salting" the workforce with AFL-CIO people

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a trend related to union membership decline in Canada?

A)the increasing proportion of white-collar workers in the economy
B)the shrinking of the industrial sector
C)the shift of low-paying Canadian jobs to other countries
D)the growing political extremism of union leadership

Question 32

Which of the following industries does the Canadian Industrial Relations Board NOT have jurisdiction over?

A)education
B)banking
C)longshoring
D)air transport

Question 33

What does a signed union authorization card signify?

A)that the employer confirms acceptance of the union as the collective bargaining agent
B)that an employee designates a union as his or her collective bargaining agent
C)that the labour board designates the union as the collective bargaining agent
D)that the union accepts the employee as a union member

Question 34

Unions may have paid organizers apply for jobs at a targeted employer in order to initiate efforts to organize other workers. What is this a definition of?

A)salting
B)subversion
C)planting
D)intruding

Question 35

In one model for the public sector, employees are given the right to strike, but some employees are required to ensure that essential services are still provided. Which of the following is the name of that model?

A)restrictive strike
B)interest arbitration
C)controlled strike
D)unrestricted right-to-strike

Question 36

Which of the following parts of the Canadian workforce is the most highly unionized?

A)manufacturing
B)transportation
C)education
D)financial services

Question 37

Which of the following characteristics points to a reason many knowledge workers resist union organizing attempts?

A)have low job turnover
B)tend to be highly individualistic
C)fear their jobs will be outsourced
D)have precarious employment

Question 38

Provincial labour boards respond to a variety of types of applications. Which of these options is NOT something they would handle?

A)unfair labour practices
B)certification of trade unions
C)trade union's duty of fair representation to its members
D)appointment of a fact finder

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of an unfair labour practice by a union during a union organizing drive?

A)participating in the formation of an employers' organization
B)asking employees about their voting intentions
C)engaging in one-on-one meetings with employees
D)distributing union literature during a work break

Question 40

Which of the following strategies have unions adopted to counteract the overall decline in union membership?

A)reducing membership dues and initiation fees
B)focusing growth efforts on contingent and part-time workers
C)organizing manufacturing workers in third-world countries
D)boycotting provinces with employer-friendly laws

Question 41

By which of the following processes is a union removed as the representative of a group of employees?

A)decertification
B)union busting
C)derepresentation
D)deunionization

Question 42

Which of the following statements characterizes interest-based bargaining?

A)There is bargaining over positions.
B)Subjective criteria are used to determine an appropriate resolution to an issue.
C)Options for mutual gain are invented.
D)People are included as part of the problem.

Question 43

If individuals must join a union before they can be hired by a firm, what kind of shop are they entering?

A)closed
B)restricted
C)union
D)agency

Question 44

During contract negotiations, the union negotiator has proposed changing the way overtime work is scheduled. Which of the following statements clarifies management's need to deal with this issue?

A)Management recognizes that this issue is non-negotiable because scheduling is part of its rights.
B)Management is not obliged to negotiate on this issue because it is a voluntary term.
C)Management must negotiate on this issue because it is a mandatory term.
D)Management may refuse to negotiate because the union negotiator is asking for a higher level of overtime pay than time-and-a-half, which makes the issue illegal.

Question 45

Union members can vote on a negotiated labour agreement to accept its terms. Which of the following is the name of this process?

A)authorization
B)acceptance
C)certification
D)ratification

Question 46

An employer argues that it cannot afford to pay what the union is asking. Which of the following actions must the employer then take?

A)allowing a third party neutral to examine the company's books and making an official finding of the company's financial condition
B)initiating the preliminary steps toward bankruptcy filing
C)providing necessary financial data if requested by the union
D)unilaterally providing full financial disclosure at the time the financial argument is made

Question 47

Management and union representatives may meet to conduct negotiations over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. Which of the following processes are they engaged in?

A)certification
B)interest arbitration
C)contract disputation
D)collective bargaining

Question 48

In the United States, there are right-to-work laws. Which of the following is their purpose?

A)to prohibit unions from organizing in particular states
B)to make forcing people to join a union to get or keep a job illegal
C)to encourage full employment in the economy
D)to require employers to bargain in good faith with union representatives

Question 49

In one type of unionized organization, employees may refuse to join a union but are still required to pay amounts equal to union dues; that is because they benefit from the union's representation services. Which type of shop is this?

A)agency
B)restricted
C)closed
D)union

Question 50

A final contract settlement can be achieved in the area bounded by the resistance points of management and union. Which of the following is the name of that critical area?

A)bargaining zone
B)acceptance range
C)settlement range
D)desired outcome

Question 51

Which of the following is a key requirement of a union shop?

A)that non-union employees be excluded from the protection of the union contract
B)that employees who refuse to join the union pay the equivalent to union dues and fees for the union's representative services
C)that individuals join the union before they can be hired
D)that employees join the union, usually 30 to 60 days after being hired

Question 52

Negotiations in one industry or in one local may become the basis for negotiations in other industries. Which of the following terms applies to this situation?

A)multi-employer bargaining
B)multi-union bargaining
C)concession bargaining
D)pattern bargaining

Question 53

An independent third party can step in and settle disputes that arise during the negotiation of a first contract between union and employer. Which of the following names this process?

A)first contract conciliation
B)first contract arbitration
C)first offer mediation
D)final offer arbitration

Question 54

Before a union may apply for certification in Canada, a minimum threshold for authorization card sign-ups must be reached. Which of the following most closely represents the threshold?

A)more than 20 percent
B)two-thirds
C)a majority (50 percent plus one)
D)at least 30 percent

Question 55

Which of the following best explains attitudinal structuring in collective bargaining?

A)one party winning at the expense of the other
B)both parties realizing that their relationship must change if they are to achieve success
C)both parties building internal consensus through a negotiated focus
D)both parties creating a win-win situation

Question 56

Nearly all labour contracts include a provision intended to ensure that the employer can manage, direct, and control its business. Which of the following identifies this provision?

A)management rights
B)non-negotiable issues
C)management reservation
D)shareholders' prerogative

Question 57

After a hard-fought union organizing campaign, which Loamite Ltd. lost, the first contract negotiations have begun. Loamite hopes to wear down the union in negotiations and have a contract that is favourable to management. As part of this strategy, Loamite is requiring the contract negotiators for management to obtain top management approval of every issue that arises during negotiations. Which of the following comments best describes how Loamite is behaving?

A)negotiating in bad faith
B)demonstrating considerable negotiating skill
C)showing a willingness to cooperate in the give-and-take of negotiation
D)engaging in typical collective bargaining behaviour

Question 58

Which of the following approaches to collective bargaining is the most adversarial?

A)integrative bargaining
B)intraorganizational bargaining
C)distributive bargaining
D)attitudinal structuring

Question 59

A labour board can impose remedies for unfair labour practices. Which of the following is NOT a possible remedy?

A)automatic certification
B)an order that the employer place a union representative on its board of directors
C)reinstatement of unlawfully terminated employees
D)cease and desist orders

Question 60

The union at VegFoods has negotiated a no-layoff clause for the life of a three-year contract. Which of the following best characterizes this contract clause?

A)a union security provision
B)illegal union-management collusion
C)an economic stability clause
D)a mandatory issue of bargaining

Question 61

The unionized employees and the management of Gable Electronics have had a history of hostile relations. The union contract has a no-strike clause that applies throughout the life of the labour contract. One day, 27 employees throw down their tools in disgust and walk out. They are incensed at a supervisor's comment that they will all be working weekends for the next three months. Which type of action are they engaging in?

A)an unfair labour practice strike
B)a work slowdown
C)a wildcat strike
D)a legal protest

Question 62

Union members may put pressure on an employer by refusing to work. Which of the following events are they engaged in?

A)a lockout
B)a slowdown
C)a boycott
D)a strike

Question 63

In Europe, the law requires employee wages to be set through collective bargaining with unions.

Question 64

The teachers' union in the Toronto school district has yet to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the school board. A neutral third party has been brought in to make decisions on the issues that have prevented the two parties from agreeing on a contract. Which of the following processes has been adopted?

A)conciliation
B)mediation
C)arbitration
D)fact-finding

Question 65

In which type of strike can strikers be discharged or disciplined for participating?

A)wildcat
B)economic
C)jurisdictional
D)unfair labour practices

Question 66

Which of the following statements best captures the trend in relations between unions and management?

A)Union leaders are increasingly favourable toward cooperating with management.
B)Union and management efforts to cooperate have been undermined by the impact of corporate restructurings.
C)Unions and management have made little progress on the cooperation front in Canada.
D)Strikes and lockouts are relatively frequent because of global pressures on management to cut labour costs.

Question 67

Amanda was suspended for three days by her supervisor for a disciplinary violation covered in the union contract. Amanda denies that she committed this violation. She says that the supervisor "has it in for her." She is filing a grievance. Which of the following possible actions will be Amanda's first step?

A)applying for arbitration of her grievance
B)contacting the national union for representation
C)filing a written complaint with the HR manager
D)speaking to the union steward

Question 68

Clark's supervisor has asked to speak with him privately about an "important matter." Clark is a unionized employee. He suspects that his supervisor plans to give him a written warning about being tardy in returning from lunch. Which of the following ideas should Clark pay heed to?

A)pointing out that he cannot be disciplined unless the supervisor has obtained permission to do so from the union steward
B)insisting that a union representative be present at the meeting
C)filing a grievance against management if the interview results in discipline
D)saying that because he is a unionized employee, he is free from discipline unless a formal grievance procedure is initiated

Question 69

Some employers provide official communication channels whereby union members can make formal complaints over contract issues and have these complaints resolved in expeditious fashion. Which of the following terms is usually associated with this organizational feature?

A)interest arbitration processes
B)grievance procedures
C)employee complaint processes
D)contract administration procedures

Question 70

In order for a unionized workplace to achieve greater productivity than a non-union workplace, management must find labour-saving ways of fulfilling the desired work.

Question 71

The International Labour Organization coordinates the efforts of labour unions worldwide.

Question 72

Union and management have failed to reach agreement during collective bargaining. During this time all employer actions have been legal. If the union calls a strike under these circumstances, which type of strike would it be?

A)wildcat
B)economic
C)jurisdictional
D)sympathy

Question 73

Class consciousness and conflict between the working class and the management class is a primary cause of unionization efforts in the Canada.

Question 74

Which of the following statements best explains the nature of grievances?

A)A grievance is a complaint recorded in written form and made by a unionized employee.
B)Legally, grievances may relate only to employee complaints about mandatory issues of bargaining.
C)Grievance procedures formalize employee complaints, thereby tending to increase animosity between the union and management.
D)An employee complaint is also a grievance.

Question 75

Which of the following statements about picketing is misleading?

A)Unions can picket on public and private property at or near an employer's place of business.
B)Secondary picketing targets stores or distributors of the employer.
C)Courts may grant an injunction to stop illegal acts on the picket line.
D)Picketing can occur only when a collective agreement is no longer in place.

Question 76

Disputes may arise when the employer and the union hold different interpretations of a labour contract. Which of the following is a mechanism to settle such disputes?

A)complaint conciliation
B)contract interpretation
C)grievance arbitration
D)grievance mediation

Question 77

Loamite Ltd. and its union are still struggling in their contract negotiations. A neutral third party has been called in. This person is actively working with both sides to help them reach a settlement, but will not be imposing a solution. Which of the following processes is Loamite and its union engaged in?

A)mediation
B)fact-finding
C)disposition
D)arbitration

Question 78

When an impasse in collective bargaining develops, a neutral third party may be brought in to make a decision. Which of the following processes have the negotiators turned to?

A)arbitration
B)conciliation
C)fact-finding
D)mediation

Question 79

After contract negotiations with its union reached an impasse, Sinclair Food Processing Ltd. temporarily ceased operations to prevent union members from working. Which of the following is the way of bringing pressure on their employees that Sinclair Food Processing has adopted?

A)a lockout
B)a boycott
C)a pre-emptive strike
D)a shutdown

Question 80

Which of the following strategies does NOT provide a way for employers to pressure their employees to reach a collective agreement?

A)transferring work to other entities
B)increasing the customer base
C)stockpiling inventories
D)subcontracting out work