Deck 14: Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations

Question 1

Industrial relations systems ensure that acceptance always translates into convergence of interests.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: For the industrial relations system to operate properly, the three participants (employees and their unions, management, and the government)must, to some degree, have a common ideology (like acceptance of the capitalist system)and must accept the roles of the other participants. Acceptance does not translate into convergence of interests, however.

Question 2

According to John Dunlop, an effective industrial relations system eliminates conflict.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: According to Dunlop and other U.S. scholars of like mind, an effective industrial relations system does not eliminate conflict. Rather, it provides institutions (and a "web of rules")that resolve conflict in a way that minimizes its costs to management, employees, and society.

Question 3

Corporate campaigns seek to bring public, financial, or political pressure on employers during the organizing (and negotiating)process.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Corporate campaigns seek to bring public, financial, or political pressure on employers during the organizing (and negotiating)process. The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU)corporate campaign against J. P. Stevens during the late 1970s was one of the first and best known.

Question 4

Distributive bargaining is more likely to cause a win-lose situation than integrative bargaining.

Question 5

If management voluntarily recognizes a union or if a union already represents employees, the focus is shifted from dealing with employees as individuals to employees as a group.

Question 6

Labor unions' major benefit to society is the institutionalization of industrial conflict.

Question 7

Mediation is the least formal but the most widely used procedure in both public and private sectors.

Question 8

Enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)rests with American Arbitration Association.

Question 9

In the early stages of a negotiation, often less number of people are present than in later stages.

Question 10

In collective bargaining, an important element of power is the relative ability of each party to withstand a strike.

Question 11

Once a union has been certified, the parties to the contract have the right to bar an outside party from holding an election for more than three years.

Question 12

At the most general level, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)holds a union representation election if a minimum of 70% of employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards.

Question 13

Under a neutrality provision, the employer pledges to oppose organizing attempts elsewhere in the company.

Question 14

At the strategic level, management makes basic choices such as whether to work with its union(s)or to devote its efforts to developing nonunion operations.

Question 15

The United States generally has more regulations and higher levels of union membership than the western European countries.

Question 16

Associate union membership is linked to an employee's workplace and provides representation in collective bargaining.

Question 17

The National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's)two major functions are to conduct and certify representation elections and prevent unfair labor practices.

Question 18

At the strategic level, management and unions meet head-on over the issue of union organizing.

Question 19

Management is less able to afford a strike when products are of a non-perishable nature.

Question 20

A major goal of labor unions is bargaining effectiveness, because with it comes the power and influence to make the employees' voices heard and to effect changes in the workplace.

Question 21

In a collective bargaining contract, factors related to profit-sharing and stock purchase are typically covered under the _____ provision.

A)wage determination
B)job or income security
C)special groups
D)plant operations
E)employee benefit plans

Question 22

Which of the following is a characteristic of an industrial union?

A)All the members represent a particular occupation in an industry.
B)It restricts the number of its members in order to maintain high wages.
C)Membership is a result of working for a particular employer in the industry.
D)The members change employers more frequently when compared to craft unions.
E)All the members share a specialized skill common across an industry.

Question 23

Since the United States does not have a strong history of deep class-based divisions in society, the unionization rate and coverage is low when compared to Europe.

Question 24

Which of the following is a reason for an industrial relations system to adopt collective bargaining?

A)Involvement of the government speeds up conflict resolution.
B)Conflict resolution by the courts involves firsthand knowledge of the circumstances.
C)Unilateral control by management often sacrifices workers' rights.
D)The existing union considers a strike to be more effective than a discussion.
E)The existing unions are not institutionalized.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of local unions?

A)The local of an industrial-based union typically covers a city or a region.
B)In a craft-oriented union, the local corresponds to a single large facility or to a number of small facilities.
C)Administration of the contract is beyond the powers of a local union.
D)The bulk of day-to-day interaction between labor and management takes place at the local union level.
E)Negotiations involved in collective bargaining are not handled at the local union level.

Question 26

Codetermination is more common in the United States than in western European countries.

Question 27

In a collective bargaining contract, factors related to hiring and transfer arrangements are typically covered under the _____ provision.

A)wage determination
B)job or income security
C)special groups
D)plant operations
E)employee benefit plans

Question 28

Which of the following sought to provide an environment conducive to collective bargaining?

A)Occupational Safety and Health Act
B)Fair Labor Standards Act
C)Civil Rights Act
D)Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
E)National Labor Relations Act

Question 29

Most national unions are composed of multiple local units and are affiliated with the _____.

A)American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
B)National Union of Government Employees
C)Public Works and Public Service Workers Trade Union
D)American Federation of Government Employees
E)Service Employees International Union

Question 30

Which of the following is likely to be part of a craft union?

A)A manager
B)A salesman
C)An autoworker
D)An electrical worker
E)A flight attendant

Question 31

According to John Dunlop, which of the following is required for an industrial relations system to be successful?

A)The system must always translate acceptance into convergence of interests.
B)The system should completely eliminate conflict.
C)The system should be independent of the environmental context.
D)The system should consist of participants that have a common ideology.
E)The system should exclude mechanisms such as collective bargaining.

Question 32

The union pay advantage causes employers to use less labor and more capital per worker than they would otherwise, which reduces efficiency across society.

Question 33

Resolving disputes between the management and labor through discussion is known as _____.

A)benchmarking
B)delayering
C)attitudinal structuring
D)collective bargaining
E)exempting

Question 34

In a collective bargaining contract, factors related to shift operations and hazardous work are typically covered under the _____ provision.

A)wage determination
B)job or income security
C)special groups
D)plant operations
E)paid and unpaid leave

Question 35

Which of the following is true of a shop steward of a union?

A)A shop steward's role becomes minimal in collective bargaining.
B)A shop steward is a neutral party who assists in negotiations.
C)A shop steward represents employees in contract grievances.
D)The function of a shop steward is typically exclusive of that of a business representative.
E)A shop steward represents the management during conflict resolution.

Question 36

Which of the following is the largest union and is not affiliated to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)?

A)Communications Workers of America
B)American Federation of Government Employees
C)International Association of Fire Fighters
D)National Education Association
E)American Federation of Teachers

Question 37

According to the model developed by Katz and Kochan, at which level does the management make basic choices such as whether to work with its unions or to devote its efforts to developing nonunion operations?

A)Strategic level
B)Corporate level
C)Functional level
D)Production level
E)Business unit level

Question 38

Much of the public-sector union growth has occurred in the service industry and among white-collar employees.

Question 39

The duty of fair representation mandated by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)requires that all bargaining unit members, whether union members or not, have equal access to and representation by the union in the grievance procedure.

Question 40

Which of the following is likely to be a part of an industrial union?

A)A carpenter
B)An electrical worker
C)A painter
D)A shoemaker
E)A steelworker

Question 41

Which of the following acts was an addition to the Taft-Hartley Act that further regulated unions' actions and their internal affairs like financial disclosure and conduct of elections?

A)Taylor Act
B)Chamberlain-Ferris Act
C)Keating-Owen Act
D)Bagley-Keene Act
E)Landrum-Griffin Act

Question 42

Under which of the following acts is a union shop illegal?

A)Landrum-Griffin Act
B)Walsh-Healey Act
C)Smith-Connally Act
D)Taft-Hartley Act
E)Norris-La Guardia Act

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of an employer unfair labor practice?

A)Kate, the union head, expels members for crossing a picket line that is unlawful.
B)Jake, a manager, threatens to close down a plant if organized by a union.
C)Rick, a manager, who prohibits mass picketing, when nonstriking employees are physically barred from entering the plant.
D)Ben, a union member, causes discharge of an employee, Jane, who spoke out against a contract proposed by the union.
E)Gail, an employee representative, who tricks his employer by including illegal provisions in a contract.

Question 44

Over half of all the unfair labor practice charges are filed against employers who:

A)refused to bargain.
B)retaliated against employees who filed other charges.
C)interfered with union activities.
D)bribed the union negotiators.
E)fired employees for organizing unions.

Question 45

Under the _____, states may pass so-called right-to-work laws.

A)Landrum-Griffin Act
B)Walsh-Healey Act
C)Smith-Connally Act
D)Taft-Hartley Act
E)Norris-La Guardia Act

Question 46

Which of the following is an accurate definition of a union shop?

A)A union security provision that requires a person to join the union within a certain amount of time after being hired
B)A union security provision that requires payment of dues but not a membership
C)A union security provision that requires a person to be a union member before being hired
D)A union contract provision that requires an employer to deduct union dues from employees' paychecks
E)A union contract provision that prohibits a person from joining the union within 30 days of employment

Question 47

From the union perspective, free riders refer to:

A)employees who pay their dues but are not members of a union.
B)employees who benefit from union activities without belonging to a union.
C)third parties who act as facilitators in the negotiation processes.
D)management's representatives in the contract grievance processes.
E)neutral agents who assist in conflict resolution.

Question 48

Which of the following is an example of an employer unfair labor practice?

A)Ken, the union representative, causes threats to employees of bodily injury.
B)Donna, a supervisor, pretends to spy on union meetings.
C)Bob, a union member, terminates an existing contract and strikes for a new one without informing the employer.
D)Ben, a worker, causes discharge of an employee who spoke out against a contract proposed by the union.
E)Genna, a nonunion employee, causes a member to include illegal provisions in a contract.

Question 49

A list of unfair labor practices were added to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)through the _____.

A)Wagner Act
B)Walsh-Healey Act
C)Smith-Connally Act
D)Taft-Hartley Act
E)Norris-La Guardia Act

Question 50

Which of the following is true of nonunion employers?

A)For nonunion employers, union avoidance is an important employee relations objective.
B)Top management's values in nonunion organizations do not emphasize promotion from within.
C)Nonunion employers tend to give below-average pay and minimal benefits.
D)Nonunion employers can provide a stronger platform for the independent employee voice than that a union can provide.
E)Nonunion employers who desire productivity advantage over their competitors cannot offer what unions can offer employees.

Question 51

Under a(n)_____, the employer, on behalf of the union, automatically deducts union dues from employees' paychecks.

A)union shop
B)agency shop
C)fair share provision
D)checkoff provision
E)closed shop

Question 52

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)is also known as the _____.

A)Landrum-Griffin Act
B)Davis-Bacon Act
C)Healey Act
D)Wagner Act
E)Hartley Act

Question 53

Which of the following is true of union actions across industries and states?

A)Employee groups and economic sectors with the fastest growth rates tend to have the highest rates of unionization.
B)Women and men have equal representation in unions.
C)One reason for the smaller union presence in southern states is the existence of right-to-work laws.
D)Nonmanufacturing industries such as finance, insurance, and real estate have a higher union representation than manufacturing industries.
E)The Southern United States is more heavily organized than the rest of the country in terms of unionization.

Question 54

Section 8(a)(3)of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)prohibits employers from:

A)retaliating against employees who are not part of unions.
B)refusing to bargain in good faith with union representatives.
C)firing employees for union organizing.
D)interfering with union activities.
E)declining proposals made by union representatives.

Question 55

Which of the following is true of the Wagner Act?

A)Under the Wagner Act, states are allowed to pass the right-to-work laws.
B)It states that agency shops, union shops, and the maintenance of membership are illegal.
C)It prohibits employees from going out on strike to secure better working conditions.
D)It established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work.
E)It actively supports collective bargaining.

Question 56

Which of the following is true of the Taft-Hartley Act?

A)It impedes collective bargaining rather than supporting it.
B)It prohibits union members from going out on strikes.
C)It permits employers to spy on union meetings.
D)It outlaws union operations that threaten an employee's life and job.
E)It prohibits employees from refraining to take part in union activities.

Question 57

Which of the following is true of unionization?

A)Unions have traditionally been stronger in rural workplaces that employ women and youth.
B)Employers actively resist unionization in an attempt to control costs and maintain their flexibility.
C)In the last couple of decades, union membership has consistently increased as a percentage of employment.
D)Union membership is higher in the private sector than in the public sector.
E)Competitive threats have contributed to decreased employer resistance to union organizing.

Question 58

Which of the following is an accurate definition of agency shop?

A)A union security provision that requires a person to be a union member before being hired
B)A union contract provision that requires a person to join the union after a certain amount of time of employment
C)A union contract provision that requires an employer to deduct union dues from employees' paychecks
D)A union security provision that does not require a membership but requires that dues be paid
E)A union contract provision that prohibits an employer from deducting union dues from employees' paychecks

Question 59

Which of the following is the strongest union security arrangement?

A)The agency shop
B)The checkoff provision
C)The fair share provision
D)The union shop
E)The closed shop

Question 60

The _____ rules do not require union participation by the employee, but do require that employees who choose to join must remain members for a certain period of time.

A)checkoff provision
B)maintenance of membership
C)closed shop
D)union shop
E)right-to-work

Question 61

Under a _____ provision, the employer pledges not to oppose organizing attempts elsewhere in the company.

A)fair share
B)union shop
C)neutrality
D)card-check
E)checkoff

Question 62

The aspect of the labor-management negotiation process that refers to the relationship and level of trust between the negotiators is known as _____.

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

Question 63

The part of the labor-management negotiation process that focuses on dividing a fixed economic "pie" is known as _____.

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

Question 64

The management of an organization is less able to afford a strike when the:

A)product is non-perishable in nature.
B)organization is capital intensive.
C)replacement workers are scarce.
D)company has more than one production unit.
E)demand for its product is strong.

Question 65

Which of the following is an example of a union unfair labor practice?

A)Ned refuses to reinstate workers when job openings occur because the workers participated in a lawful strike.
B)Gill, an operations head, threatens to close down a plant if organized by a union.
C)Jon, a new employee, refuses to join a union.
D)Pat, a nonunion employee, spies on union meetings.
E)Oliver, a union head, forces an employer to stop doing business with another employer who refused to recognize the union.

Question 66

_____ seeks to exert public, financial, or political pressure on employers during the union-organizing process.

A)Arbitration
B)Checkoff provision
C)Corporate campaign
D)Integrative bargaining
E)Mediation

Question 67

Arbitrating the actual writing or setting of contract terms is called _____ arbitration.

A)contract
B)bracketed
C)pendulum
D)rights
E)interest

Question 68

Which of the following is an example of a union unfair labor practice?

A)Sam, a union member, is threatened by Dan, his boss, with loss of benefits if he votes for a union.
B)Genna, an operations head, threatens to close down a plant if organized by a union.
C)Lillian, a new employee, refuses to join a union.
D)Hill, a nonunion employee, spies on union meetings.
E)Pete, a union representative, makes a contract that requires his employer to hire employees satisfactory to the union.

Question 69

Which of the following is a union unfair labor practice?

A)Taking an active part in organizing a union or committee to represent employees
B)Insisting on the inclusion of illegal provisions in a contract
C)Announcing a wage increase without consulting the employees' representative
D)Failing to bargain about the effects of a decision to close one of employer's plants
E)Refusing to meet with employees' representatives because the employees are on strike

Question 70

Which of the following is true of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)?

A)It is composed of a nine-member board, the general counsel, and 10 regional offices.
B)Its functions do not include conducting and certifying representation elections.
C)Its jurisdiction is limited to employers whose operations affect commerce generally.
D)In practice, only purely local firms fall within its jurisdiction.
E)It not only responds to requests for actions but also initiates actions.

Question 71

A(n)_____ typically reports on the reasons for the labor-management dispute and the views and arguments of both sides.

A)mediator
B)fact finder
C)arbitrator
D)shop steward
E)associate union member

Question 72

The duty of fair representation is mandated by the _____.

A)Landrum-Griffin Act
B)Davis-Bacon Act
C)Healey Act
D)Wagner Act
E)Hartley Act

Question 73

Arbitrating the enforcement or interpretation of contract terms is called _____ arbitration.

A)contract
B)bracketed
C)pendulum
D)rights
E)interest

Question 74

Which of the following is true of the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's)process regarding unfair labor practices?

A)Unfair labor practice cases begin with the filing of a charge that is first investigated by the court.
B)A charge must be filed within a year of the alleged unfair practice.
C)If the NLRB finds the charge to have merit and issues a complaint, then grievance procedure is not available as an option.
D)The NLRB reinforces a criminal statute that makes punitive damages available.
E)The NLRB can order reinstatement of employees, with or without back pay.

Question 75

The management of an organization is less able to afford a strike when the:

A)product is non-perishable in nature.
B)organization is labor intensive.
C)replacement workers are scarce.
D)company has more than one production unit.
E)demand for its product is weak.

Question 76

Which of the following is true of the functions performed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)?

A)Its functions are guided by a specific jurisdictional standard that is constant across industries.
B)Its functions do not include conducting and certifying representation elections.
C)It enforces the National Labor Relations Act that is based on the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.
D)In practice, its functions are limited to purely local firms that fall within its jurisdiction.
E)It not only responds to requests for actions but also initiates actions.

Question 77

Which of the following is true of the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's)process regarding unfair labor practices?

A)Unfair labor practice cases begin with the filing of a charge that is first investigated by the court.
B)A charge must be filed within a year of the alleged unfair practice.
C)If the NLRB finds the charge to have merit and issues a complaint, then grievance procedure is not available as an option.
D)The NLRB has the authority to issue cease-and-desist orders to halt unfair labor practices.
E)The NLRB reinforces a criminal statute that makes punitive damages available.

Question 78

Which of the following allows a union to receive dues in exchange for services but does not provide any representation in collective bargaining?

A)Arbitration
B)Associate union membership
C)Corporate campaigns
D)Distributive bargaining
E)Mediation

Question 79

Which of the following is the first step in a typical employee-initiated grievance procedure?

A)Steward and management representative meet and discuss the grievance.
B)Employee discusses grievance verbally with the supervisor.
C)Grievance is submitted to production superintendent.
D)Employee consults the industrial relations staff for resolution.
E)Grievance is appealed to arbitration for binding decision.

Question 80

Which of the following is true of a mediator?

A)He or she has no formal authority but, rather, acts as a facilitator and go-between in negotiations.
B)He or she provides inside information about the employees to the management.
C)He or she provides a solution that is binding on the parties.
D)He or she is responsible for ensuring that the terms of the collective bargaining contract are enforced.
E)He or she represents the management during the collective bargaining procedure.