Deck 13: The Unionmanagement Framework

Question 1

According to a recent survey of 1,001 adult Canadians,__________ of respondents do not want to be unionized

A)27 percent
B)54 percent
C)19 percent
D)35 percent
E)77 percent

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In the human resources perspective,conflict stems from

A)an employer-employee power imbalance
B)continuing pressures from unions
C)poor management
D)overly demanding employees
E)overly demanding unions

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The basic unit of union organization that provides members,the revenue,and the power of the entire union movement,is the

A)local union
B)national union
C)social union
D)craft union
E)industrial union

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A type of union that includes both unskilled and semiskilled,usually at a particular location or industry are called

A)craft unions
B)industrial unions
C)social unions
D)business unions
E)authoritarian unions

Question 5

The different levels of union structure include all the following except

A)local unions
B)international unions
C)labour congresses/federations
D)national unions
E)multinational unions

Question 6

Employees often join unions for a variety of reasons,including

A)the desire to replace collective power with individual power
B)formalized job satisfaction
C)perceived union instrumentality
D)as a requirement by an open shop employer
E)good management tactics

Question 7

According to a recent survey of 1,001 adult Canadians,among unionized employees __________ of respondents perceived that having a union positively impacted job security.

A)80 per cent
B)95 percent
C)67 percent
D)71 percent
E)59 percent

Question 8

A collective agreement is all of the following except

A)a contract negotiated between a union and the employer
B)outlines the terms and conditions of employment for union members
C)legally binding
D)sometimes called the "rule book" by some managers and union officials
E)open for negotiation at any time

Question 9

In the industrial relations perspective,institutional intervention can be used to

A)correct the power imbalance between labour and management
B)eliminate conflict all together
C)determine legally binding rules that apply to each specific workplace
D)introduce technological changes to the workplace
E)manage public perception

Question 10

A collective agreement is usually negotiated between:

A)a local union's bargaining committee and the Human Resources or Industrial Relations department
B)Canadian bargaining unit and the Employee Relations department
C)management grievance committee and the local union's bargaining unit
D)the mediation board committee and the Human Resources or Industrial Relations department
E)a local union's bargaining committee and the management bargaining committee

Question 11

Sometimes workers get together and form a union,an organization that does all the following except

A)has the legal authority to represent workers
B)can negotiate the terms and conditions of employment
C)administers the collective agreement
D)manages the company's employee benefit plans on behalf of the workers
E)collects dues from members

Question 12

Unions that attempt to influence government policies on economic issues are referred to as practicing

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

Question 13

Business unionism describes the philosophy of unions who see that their mission is to do all the below except

A)protect the workers
B)increase their pay
C)improve working conditions
D)help workers in general
E)influence economic and social policies at all levels of government

Question 14

One factor that appears to be important in the decision of individuals to join a union is

A)job descriptions
B)an unfavourable opinion of unions
C)perceptions of union instrumentality
D)good management
E)a desire to pay union dues

Question 15

Unions have a major effect on the work environment and do all of the following except

A)provide input on company benefit plan designs
B)get involved in employee discipline concerns
C)impact the relationships between employees and the organization
D)reduce the need for effective HR policies and procedures
E)influence working conditions in the organization

Question 16

The approach to union activities that says that the labour movement has a mission to protect workers,increase pay,improve working conditions,and generally help workers is called

A)commercial unionism
B)business unionism
C)industrial unionism
D)professional unionism
E)soviet unionism

Question 17

All the following can be reasons that workers join unions except

A)higher compensation packages
B)peer pressure
C)favourable management practices
D)employed by a union shop company
E)increased job security

Question 18

Unions are organizations that

A)have the legal authority to represent workers
B)do not directly negotiate the terms and conditions of employment
C)are not directly involved in administering the collective agreement
D)have only informal authority to represent workers
E)are usually formed by the employer

Question 19

Unions usually have the most direct impact on

A)the marketing department
B)the accounting department
C)the organization of senior management
D)the human resource department
E)the engineering department

Question 20

Social or reform unionism refers to unions within the labour movement that attempt to

A)be more socially-oriented and open towards management
B)concern itself only with delivering a service to members
C)influence social policies of government
D)reform themselves to make themselves more open to their members
E)improve working conditions within an organization

Question 21

It is possible to classify almost all labour strikes into a couple of categories,including

A)strikes as mistakes or misjudgments
B)strikes as a unilateral decision by union management
C)strikes required by the Canada Labour Code
D)strikes as a management tool to retaliate against workers
E)strikes that are ordered by the employer

Question 22

All the following are true of all LRBs,except

A)labour boards may revise or rescind any of their own previous decisions
B)the boards' decisions can be appealed to a court of law in each province
C)the boards,unlike the common law,do not have to consider precedent
D)the boards' decisions are final and cannot be appealed,except on procedural matters
E)labour boards may impose a solution of both parties in a hearing

Question 23

Canadian labour legislation makes company dominated unions

A)illegal
B)legal
C)legal if it involves a recognized union
D)legal if the employees agree
E)legal if management pays the employees' union dues

Question 24

The Canadian Labour Congress, (the largest labour federation in Canada)has more than 3 million members and

A)is the only labour federation in Canada
B)influences public policy within the provinces
C)is the largest labour federation in Canada
D)is a branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees
E)has little influence over member unions

Question 25

In comparing unionization across provinces,the highest rate and the lowest rate are represented by (highest rate given first in below pairs)

A)Newfoundland and Quebec
B)Quebec and Alberta
C)Ontario and Saskatchewan
D)Newfoundland and Alberta
E)Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia

Question 26

Some common key aspects of labour legislation in Canada include all the following except

A)right to join a union
B)good faith bargaining
C)conciliation
D)prohibition on unfair labour practices
E)collective agreements must be for a minimum period of three years

Question 27

Most collective agreements in Canada are settled

A)with strikes and/or lockouts,but with little acrimony
B)without strikes and/or lockouts
C)with long or violent strikes
D)by government legislation
E)none of these choices are correct;collective agreements are not legal in Canada

Question 28

In 2011,the most highly unionized industry sector was

A)utilities
B)manufacturing
C)service
D)food and beverage
E)public administration

Question 29

Issues to consider in a strike environment include all except

A)financial pressure on employees
B)labour-management difficulties are resolved when the strike ends
C)physical and emotional harm
D)family patterns are disrupted
E)work teams get divided

Question 30

Boards set up in the federal and provincial jurisdictions to administer labour legislation are referred to and usually officially called

A)labour relations boards
B)management-labour relations boards
C)labour committees
D)employee relations boards
E)labour negotiation boards

Question 31

Firms with lower strike activity are organizations with all the following except

A)the union is in a strategically strong position
B)employers have a large share of the market
C)workers have more autonomy in the marketplace
D)employers have progressive Human Resource management practices
E)smaller firms

Question 32

Unionized workers tend to do better than non-unionized workers in all areas below except for

A)job sharing arrangement
B)pension coverage
C)paid sick leave
D)paid vacation leave
E)flextime options

Question 33

Unlike the United States,Canadian labour laws provide employers

A)with reasonably unrestricted freedom to take counter-measures against a union organizing drive
B)with no restrictions (other than the criminal law)on fighting a union organizing drive
C)with relatively little freedom to counter a union organizing drive
D)with absolutely no power to counter a union organizing drive,regardless of union actions
E)with instructions on how to smash union organizing drives

Question 34

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is an example of

A)an employer-owned union
B)an international union
C)a local union
D)a craft union
E)a very small union

Question 35

In a union drive,the cards that prospective union members sign to show support for a union are called

A)preauthorization membership cards
B)paid membership cards
C)authorization cards
D)petition sheets
E)spite-management cards

Question 36

Though not everyone agrees,studies have shown that unions can

A)increase employee turnover
B)decrease employee tenure with the firm
C)raise productivity or output per worker
D)reduce the possibility of legal strikes
E)reduce employee salaries

Question 37

In 2011,the approximate percentage of the (non-agricultural)paid workforce in Canada that was unionized was

A)14 percent
B)22 percent
C)30 percent
D)39 percent
E)45 percent

Question 38

Employees help convince coworkers to join a union by doing all the following except

A)home visits
B)speeches
C)handing out pamphlets after work
D)conversations
E)having discussions during work meetings

Question 39

Since 2004,the female unionization rate

A)has been roughly 20% of the male unionization rate
B)has been roughly 50% of the male unionization rate
C)is the same as the male unionization rate
D)has exceeded the male unionization rate
E)represents only 25% of all unionized persons (male and female)

Question 40

Once a union drive is underway,management

A)may not discipline employees for supporting the union
B)may not discipline employees for supporting the union,except for those who are actively organizing
C)may not discipline employees for supporting the union,but may legally charge outside union organizers
D)may not discipline employees,but can warn them of serious negative ramifications if they organize
E)may discipline employees for supporting the union,though may not dismiss them without warnings

Question 41

Once a union is certified,all labour legislation statutes,regardless of jurisdiction,require both union and management to

A)talk it over
B)bargain in good faith
C)shake hands and come out fighting
D)develop an atmosphere of mistrust
E)get over it

Question 42

The collective bargaining process can involve any (or all)of the stages below except

A)traditional face-to-face negotiations
B)approving the proposed agreement by management
C)preparation for negotiations
D)ratification by union members
E)regular certification

Question 43

All jurisdictions require a collective agreement to include a provision for final settlement by a(n)_________ of all differences concerning the interpretation or administration of a contract,without stoppage of work.

A)mediator
B)conciliator
C)arbitrator
D)facilitator
E)operator

Question 44

The labour negotiating process whereby disputing parties voluntarily choose to reconcile their differences through a third party is called

A)mediation
B)conciliation
C)arbitration
D)delegation
E)facilitation

Question 45

According to the residual rights theory of management

A)unions have authority over all issues not contained in the collective agreement
B)employers always maintain the residual right to create the compensation packages
C)unions bargain on how to best operate the business
D)all issues regarding the running of the business will be in the collective agreement
E)employers have authority over all issues not contained in the collective agreement

Question 46

Unfair labour practices by management can include all the below except

A)contributing extensively to the formation of a union
B)interfering in the formation of a union
C)discriminating against an employee because the employee is,or is not,a member of a trade union
D)intimidating or coercing employees to join or not join a union
E)facilitating a union drive by providing an office or paid leave for union executives

Question 47

Most labour-management specialists argue that in the case of a grievance

A)management should push for arbitration
B)management should capitulate as soon as the word arbitration is mentioned
C)management should attempt to seek a resolution to the grievance before the arbitration stage
D)the grieving employee should be dismissed before the arbitration stage
E)management should not capitulate,but should avoid arbitration at any cost

Question 48

When negotiations break down between management and the union

A)strike action becomes automatic
B)mediators are required to meet with the bargaining teams together
C)mediators are approved by the provincial Ministry of Labour
D)all jurisdictions provide for conciliation and mediation services
E)conciliators will order a strike

Question 49

Despite its being required in contract disagreements,arbitration holds some potential problems for labour relations practitioners,including

A)there is little or no direct cost to either employer or union
B)automatic support of union position
C)unacceptable solutions
D)unreasonable arbitrators
E)automatic support of employer's position

Question 50

Job seekers cannot get a job with a certain organization because they are not members of the union that represents the workers at that company,and they must belong to the union to be hired there.This is an example of a

A)closed shop
B)union shop
C)dues checkoff shop (Rand Formula)
D)management rights
E)illegal discrimination

Question 51

Management should consider several issues when resolving grievances except

A)complaints need to be carefully investigated
B)decisions need to be based on facts
C)only union members should be questioned during the investigation
D)a record of the cause of each grievance should be kept
E)final solutions should be explained to all involved

Question 52

A more cooperative and less conflict-oriented and adversarial approach to collective bargaining is a process called

A)happy face bargaining
B)us-versus-them bargaining
C)mutual gains bargaining
D)manipulative bargaining
E)competitive negotiating bargaining

Question 53

Typically,the final step in the union-management grievance procedure is

A)the complaint is submitted to the senior management by the union
B)arrangements are made for an arbitrator
C)management and union discuss the complaint
D)the complaint is put in writing and submitted to the supervisor
E)the employee is dismissed

Question 54

Union security comes in various forms including all of the following except

A)dues check-off shop
B)closed shop
C)union shop
D)open shop
E)employer shop

Question 55

Unfair labour practices by unions can include all the following except

A)failing to represent employees fairly
B)attempting,at the workplace during working hours,to persuade an employee to join or not join a union
C)intimidating or penalizing an individual because she/he has filed a complaint or testified at a labour hearing
D)engaging in,encouraging,or threatening an illegal strike
E)seeking to compel an employer to bargain collectively with the union when the union is the certified bargaining agent

Question 56

A formal procedure for resolving disputes if the parties have a disagreement regarding the interpretation of a collective agreement is called a

A)complaint procedure
B)grievance procedure
C)problem-solving mechanism
D)collective bargaining
E)collective management

Question 57

___________ provide management with the freedom to operate the business subject to any terms in the collective agreement.

A)Employer rights
B)Management rights
C)Contract rights
D)Employee rights
E)Bargained rights

Question 58

Rhonda has a philosophical objection to joining a trade union,and where she works she is allowed not to join the union,yet she is required to pay full union dues.This is an example of a

A)closed shop
B)dues checkoff (Rand Formula)shop
C)open shop
D)union shop
E)balanced shop

Question 59

Unions may obtain legal recognition or bargaining rights by

A)persuading,at the workplace during working hours,employees to join the union
B)automatic certification by a labour relations board when less than 10 per cent of employees sign cards
C)automatic certification due to employer unfair labour practice(s)
D)certification by workers' compensation board when more than 60 per cent of employees sign union cards
E)threatening an illegal strike

Question 60

Bob hires on with a unionized company and four weeks later receives notice that he must now join the union representing the bargaining unit that he is in.This is an example of a

A)closed shop
B)union shop
C)dues checkoff shop
D)single shop
E)open shop

Question 61

A new standard that arises from the past practices of either the union or the company is called

A)a precedent
B)old history
C)previous actions
D)just cause
E)due process

Question 62

In non-union companies,one implicit objective of management is often to remain non-union.Among the strategies that employers can use to do this include

A)union repression approach
B)union embracement approach
C)union forbidden approach
D)union substitution approach
E)union restriction approach

Question 63

A labour contract negotiated between the union and the employer,outlining terms and conditions of employment is officially called a labour management agreement.

Question 64

Management often lose disciplinary arbitration cases for all the following reasons except

A)they neglected to document past disciplinary procedures
B)they failed to adhere to the terms of the collective agreement
C)they failed to establish grounds for disciplinary action
D)arbitrators tend to side with the union,regardless of any other factors
E)management cannot establish "just cause"

Question 65

Unions do not carry out the responsibilities of the Human Resource department.

Question 66

In organizations that are unionized,Human Resources are not limited in their role because there is a more structured framework to work in.

Question 67

Union grievances often arise because supervisors don't understand the terms of the collective agreements.

Question 68

In the human resources perspective,if management practices improve,conflict will fade from the employment relationship.

Question 69

Successful companies have only one union representing their employees.

Question 70

In terms of skill required to perform day-to-day work as a labour relations professional all of the skills are required except:

A)communication
B)active listening
C)arguing
D)relationship building
E)collective agreement interpretation

Question 71

There is growing evidence that organizational performance is enhanced when labour and management

A)are in mild conflict
B)cooperate
C)are in arbitration
D)use profit sharing
E)are in an adversarial environment

Question 72

Even though the workers in an organization have the right to form a union,management by law does not have to recognize it.

Question 73

A union is an organization with the legal authority to represent workers,negotiate terms of employment,and administer the collective agreement.

Question 74

Among the impacts of unionization on supervisors and line managers is that it is not unusual for these groups

A)to get increased bonuses
B)to lose some direct authority
C)to get diminished responsibilities and duties
D)to get new titles
E)to get company cars

Question 75

The act that regulates the right to bargain and strike for federal public employees is called the

A)Public Service Union Act
B)Public Service Staff Relations Act
C)Canada Employees Act
D)Rand Formula Act
E)Public Service Commission Act

Question 76

Techniques to improve relations between employers and unions,and to increase cooperation,can include all the following except

A)joint study committees
B)training programs
C)sincere concern
D)prior consultation
E)union hiring committees

Question 77

In the industrial relations perspective,conflict can be constructive only when it is addressed in a non-adversarial problem-solving fashion.

Question 78

Changes occur in the human resources function when unions are present such as

A)specialists in labour relations are added
B)line managers get increased authority
C)discipline is determined and enforced by line supervisors
D)record keeping moves to departments to ensure more accuracy
E)training becomes the responsibility of the union leadership

Question 79

When employee-related decisions such as promotions,overtime,and layoffs are determined by the length of the worker's employment,this is called

A)majority
B)maturity
C)longevity
D)seniority
E)priority

Question 80

A study of the history of unions indicates that they usually just happen,and are seldom the result of any perceived management action or inaction.