Deck 9: Strikes and Lockouts

Question 1

Which of the following is not an economic factor that may influence the decision to strike or lockout?

A) The unemployment rate
B) The financial position of the employer
C) The general profit picture in the industry
D) The rate of economic growth in the country

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is a wildcat strike?

A) An illegal strike that takes place during the term of a collective agreement
B) A legal strike that takes place during the term of the collective agreement
C) A legal strike that takes place at the outset of collective bargaining
D) An illegal strike that occurs at the expiry of the collective agreement

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Workers in some parts of the public sector, such as health care, must provide a designated minimum level of service during a strike for the strike to be designated as legal. How is this minimum level of coverage determined?

A) By legislation, negotiation, or third-party intervention
B) By the employer and the union
C) By employee councils elected for this purpose
D) By the union

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the term used to describe a situation where picketers appear at the "non-struck" premises of suppliers or other locations, or separate businesses operated by the employer?

A) Primary picketing
B) Tertiary picketing
C) Illegal picketing
D) Secondary picketing

Question 5

In several jurisdictions the party starting a strike or lockout must give notice of their intention to strike to the other party. Which of the below is not a reason for why notice needs to be given?

A) The employer may have cash or other valuables on the premises that must be stored elsewhere
B) Employees may have personal belongings they wish to remove
C) There may be perishable goods that must be removed
D) The employer may need time to build up inventory

Question 6

Given the amount of collective agreements negotiated in Canada, strikes or lockouts are unusual. What percent of Canadian collective agreements are settled without a strike or lockout?

A) 60%
B) 72%
C) 84%
D) 90%

Question 7

The Association of University Teachers' "censure list" is an example of an ongoing boycott. Who or what is on the "censure list"?

A) Authors whose works are objectionable for classroom curriculum
B) Employers that the Association asserts have violated principles of academic freedom
C) Employers that do not have affirmative action hiring policies
D) Authors whose works create too much controversy

Question 8

Between 2011 and 2012, the rate of work stoppages in the public sector increased by approximately what percentage in contrast to an increase of 14.7% in the private sector?

A) 20%
B) 356%
C) 10%
D) There was little change to the rate of public sector work stoppages between these years

Question 9

What is the term used to describe the payments issued by the union to its striking members to partially compensate for the loss of employment income?

A) Picketing pay
B) Supplementary unemployment pay
C) Strike pay
D) Employment insurance

Question 10

Which set of numbers represents the findings from an Ontario study on strikes; with the first number representing the bargaining unit size when strikes are most frequent and the second number representing the bargaining unit size when strikes are least common?

A) 150-300; and 300-499 members
B) More than 500; and less than 21 members
C) 150-300; and 50-149 members
D) 150-300; and less than 21 members

Question 11

A slowdown in work can be considered a strike. Which of the following activities falls into this category?

A) Union imposed overtime bans
B) Work-to-rule campaigns
C) Rotating strikes
D) All of the above

Question 12

What is the source of funding for strike pay?

A) A bank of funds supplied jointly by the employer and the union
B) A specific amount is deducted from members' paycheques in addition to regular dues
C) The union's resources, supplemented by the employment insurance commission
D) Designated funds banked solely by the union for this specific purpose

Question 13

What is the term used to describe workers who carry out tasks usually performed by workers who are on strike?

A) Designated employees
B) Replacement workers
C) Designated supervisors
D) Management replacements

Question 14

Which of the following occupations is not deemed an essential service and therefore is able to strike?

A) Police officers
B) Physiotherapists
C) Correctional officers
D) Firefighters

Question 15

What is the term used to reflect the number of days of labour which are lost per year because of strike or lockout activity?

A) Labour activity
B) Strike incidence
C) Lost person-days
D) All of the above

Question 16

What level of government is empowered to enact back-to-work legislation ordering public sector strikers to return to their jobs?

A) Provincial or federal legislatures
B) Municipal governments
C) Regional districts
D) All of the above

Question 17

On average, public sector strikes have represented what part of the annual percentage of strike activity in Canada?

A) 10-20 percent
B) 20-30 percent
C) 30-40 percent
D) 40-50 percent

Question 18

For a strike to occur legally it must be authorized by a vote of the bargaining unit. What is the majority required in most provinces for a strike to be considered legal?

A) 50 percent + 1 of members in the bargaining unit
B) 60 percent of voters
C) 50 percent + 1 of voters
D) 60 percent of members in the bargaining unit

Question 19

Which of the following is not a factor that would affect the employer's ability to endure the economic pain of a strike or lockout?

A) The number of employees usually on site
B) The employer may have significant inventory available to meet customer needs
C) There may be funds available from the parent organization to offset losses from a strike
D) The employer may have funds set aside to offset the impact of a strike

Question 20

Strikes may occur as a result of inaccurate perceptions during bargaining. Which of the following is not a factor that might lead to such inaccurate perceptions?

A) Lack of experience on the part of the bargainers
B) Limited disclosures of information during bargaining
C) An imbalance of bargaining power
D) Changes in the parties' expectations during bargaining

Question 21

A union member crossing his/her own picket line is demonstrating

A) A sign of disrespect
B) A sign of disloyalty
C) They are prepared to go to jail
D) That they do not agree with the reasoning behind the strike

Question 22

Illegal strikes that occur during the term of a collective agreement may occur spontaneously as an expression of union members' dissatisfaction.

Question 23

In many Canadian jurisdictions, no strike or lockout can take place until there has been an attempt to resolve the dispute through third-party intervention.

Question 24

When picketing a struck place of employment, picketers are able to say whatever they want on their signs.

Question 25

High unemployment rates may actually increase the willingness of union members to undertake strike action.

Question 26

Engineers at CN went on strike on November 28, 2009. What caused the strike to end on December 2, 2009?

A) Management staff had worked as locomotive engineers
B) There was an error in the strike notification provided by the union
C) Back-to-work legislation was introduced in the House of Commons
D) Management gave in to the Union's demands

Question 27

Strikes in Canada have not represented a significant loss of working time in any recent period. The rate in any given year has never exceeded six-tenths of 1 percent.

Question 28

"Strikes as collective voice" is a perspective that strikes are likely to occur because of what?

A) A bargaining unit is united in its cause
B) Majority rules
C) An element of mistrust is always present in the union/management relationship
D) Strikes force both sides to endure economic pain

Question 29

PEI law states that nursing home staffs have the right to strike.

Question 30

What was the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling on the issue of picketing?

A) Restrictions on picketing must not interfere with the picketers' freedom of expression
B) Picketing is an inherent right under the Charter.
C) Picketing gives the union more power, which must be tempered by the courts.
D) Non-union staff and suppliers who are affected by picketing are collateral damage.

Question 31

All who are involved in a strike must conduct themselves according to the law. Which of the following constitutes an example of compliance with the law?

A) Handing out leaflets
B) Destruction of property
C) Physical violence
D) Intimidation of people entering the premises

Question 32

The basic purpose of a strike or lockout is?

A) To inflict economic pain
B) To sway public opinion
C) For the union to prove its point
D) For the employer to prove its point

Question 33

The Canadian government is reluctant to use back to work legislation as a dispute resolution method.

Question 34

What is not a pre-condition for a legal strike to occur?

A) The term of a collective agreement must have expired
B) The bargaining unit must vote for a strike.
C) In every jurisdiction, the neutral third party's intervention efforts must have been exhausted by the parties
D) The party initiating the strike must give notice to the other party of when the strike will begin.

Question 35

What was the key issue for the 50 members of the Unifor local 195 bargaining unit poised for a strike, working for the Riverfront Hotel in Windsor, Ontario?

A) Wage parity with the Riverside Inn next door
B) No overtime which would compensate them for the national swimming championships that frequented Windsor, held at the Aquatic and Training Centre located adjacent to the hotel
C) A proposal from the employer that employees pay for a portion of their benefits
D) Each of the above issues were key and important enough to warrant a strike

Question 36

Strikes and lockouts are the two most public events in the entire industrial relations process.

Question 37

A work-to-rule campaign occurs when union members interpret the terms of the collective agreement very narrowly and follow them very closely in order to slow down production.

Question 38

In the United States, it has been found that medium sized bargaining units are more likely to undertake strike action.

Question 39

Which of the following is not a pre-condition for a legal strike in Alberta?

A) 48 hours notice to the Minister of Labour
B) Compulsory secret ballot vote
C) No strike or lockout until a mediator has been formally appointed
D) Strike vote determined by majority in the bargaining unit who vote

Question 40

What is one 'individual' factor that determines the likelihood of a strike occurring?

A) Workers willingness to undertake strike action
B) Member ambivalence about the strike
C) Previously good negotiating relationship between the parties
D) Workers who are ambivalent about the union

Question 41

What is the basic purpose of a strike or lockout?

Question 42

What are some of the factors that will affect an employer's ability to endure the economic pain of a strike or lockout?

Question 43

List and describe the different motivations for strikes and lockouts. (Page 242-243)

Question 44

Discuss each side's actions and motivations that can end a strike. (Pages 261-263)

Question 45

What are the two major functions served by picketing?

Question 46

What are replacement workers? Why are they an important part of the Canadian strike landscape?(Pages 256-257)

Question 47

Discuss Canada's strike record versus that of other industrialized countries. (Page 263)

Question 48

The strikes-as-mistakes perspective suggests that strikes or lockouts can occur as a result of perceptions developed during bargaining. What are some of the factors that may cause these perceptions?

Question 49

Describe how the following factors impact the decision of a union to undertake a strike. (Pages 244-247)

Question 50

Briefly describe the return to work process after the ending of a strike.

Question 51

In several Canadian jurisdictions, third-party intervention is required before a strike or lockout can take place. What is the philosophy behind such a requirement?

Question 52

What is secondary picketing and under what conditions is it authorized?

Question 53

What are the recourses available to an employer in the case of a wildcat strike?

Question 54

Define the terms "strike" and "lockout."

Question 55

What is the basic concept of the strikes as collective voice perspective?