Oakland University

ORG 330

Chapter 10 Labor Relations

Multiple Choice

1)A union is a formal association of workers that promotes the interests of its members through     .

1. 1. threats and strikes
   2. collective action
   3. negotiation
   4. collective bargaining 
2. What is the primary reason why employees join unions?
   1. They want higher wages and believe that the union can pressure their employers to raise wages.
   2. They feel their benefits package is inadequate and want to bargain for an improved package.
   3. They fear losing their jobs to employees in foreign

companies.

1. 4. They are dissatisfied with how they are treated by their employers and believe that unions can improve their work situations.

3. During the past several decades, union membership in the

U.S. has                                                            .

1. declined overall
2. declined only in the public sector
3. declined only in the private sector
4. increased overall

4. It is speculated that deregulation, foreign competition, and a                   larger      number     of            people             looking             for         jobs                   have

                                                .

1. 1. been caused by union militancy
   2. contributed to the decline of unions
   3. prompted              increased                  government                regulations                     of           the union/management relationship
   4. been the catalyst for increases in union membership 

5. The top management of Premier Manufacturing is concerned about the high labor costs of its unionized workforce. Management has formed a committee to investigate the benefits of moving its plant to an "employer friendly" region. All of the following geographic regions would be considered by the committee EXCEPT the                                                                                                                .
   1. Northeast
   2. Rocky Mountain states
   3. Southern states
   4. Southwest 
6. The most highly unionized part of the U.S. workforce is the

                                                .

1. 1. public sector
   2. heavy manufacturing sector
   3. healthcare industry
   4. communications industry

6. A/An                                                               is one whose members do one type of work, often using specialized skills and training.
   1. craft union
   2. apprenticeship guild
   3. industrial union
   4. membership guild 
7. The           United              Auto            Workers              is             an           example              of           a/an

                                                .

7. 1. craft union
   2. industrial union
   3. company union
   4. federated union 
8. A                                                        is a group of autonomous unions.
   1. conciliation
   2. union congress
   3. union organization
   4. federation 

9. A                                                             is an employee who is elected, and

generally represents employees at the work site.

9. 1. union agent
   2. union steward
   3. business agent
   4. business steward
10. The Wagner Act, the Taft-Hartley Act, and the Landrum- Griffin Act constitute the           .
    1. Magna Carta of Labor
    2. U.S. labor law foundation
    3. National Labor Code
    4. Right-to-Work Code

11. Which act prohibited employers from undertaking certain unfair labor practices?
    1. The Railway Labor Act
    2. The Landrum-Griffin Act
    3. The Taft-Hartley Act
    4. The Wagner Act 
12. Which agency, set up as an impartial umpire of the organizing process, enforces all of the provisions of the labor relations acts?
    1. National Labor Relations Board
    2. U.S. Department of Labor
    3. Federal Labor-Management Conciliation Authority
    4. Federal Workers Protection Board 
13. Which Act, passed in 1947, answered the concerns of many that unions had become too strong, and attempted to balance the collective bargaining equation?
    1. The Norris-LaGuardia Act
    2. The Landrum-Griffin Act
    3. The Taft-Hartley Act
    4. The Wagner Act 

14. The purpose of right-to-work laws is to                                                                                                 .
    1. encourage full employment in the economy
    2. make it illegal to force people to join a union to get or keep a job
    3. require that employers bargain in good faith with union representatives
    4. prohibit unions from organizing in a particular state 
15. The process of unionization may begin in one of two ways, including a             .
    1. union targeting an industry or a company
    2. refusal by management to communicate with the union
    3. change in state law regarding open shops

1. 4. permission letter from the National Labor Relations Board

16. The management of Pilot Processing, Inc. 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 have forgotten the other primary way the unionizing process can begin, which is            .
    1. company employees approaching a union with the request to unionize
    2. the development of an internal company union without external ties to organized labor
    3. "salting" of the workforce by the AFL-CIO
    4. an order by the National Labor Relations Board 
17. If                                                              of the employees in the targeted group sign authorization cards, the union can request that an election be held.
    1. a majority
    2. at least 30 percent
    3. more than 20 percent
    4. two-thirds 
18. A                                                     unit is composed of all employees eligible to select a union to represent and bargain collectively for them.
    1. contract
    2. common
    3. negotiating
    4. bargaining
19. The checkers and baggers at Grocery Giant have approached the loading dock workers to cooperate in a union organizing attempt. The NLRB will decide whether these three groups of employees constitute a bargaining unit based on

                                                .

1. 1. similarity of pay grades

19. 2. mutuality of interests
    3. a comparison of working conditions
    4. geographic location 
20. 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. For the union to win, it needs to have                                                                                           votes.

a. 200

b. 201

c. 150

d. 151

21. Once certified, the next step the union will take is to

                                                .

21. 1. assess union dues
    2. collect the costs associated with the unionization process from the employer
    3. demand improved wages and benefits for the members of the bargaining unit
    4. attempt to negotiate a contract with the employer
22.                                                       is he process whereby a union is removed as the representative of a group of employees.
    1. Decertification
    2. De-representation
    3. De-unionization
    4. Union busting 
23. The process whereby representatives of management and workers negotiate over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment is called                                                        .
    1. arbitration
    2. power bargaining
    3. collective bargaining
    4. labor/management negotiations

24. In order to reserve to the employer the right to manage, direct, and control its business, virtually all labor contracts include a                                     provision.
    1. non-negotiable issues
    2. management rights
    3. shareholders’ prerogative
    4. management reservation 
25.                                                            refers to provisions to aid the union in obtaining and retaining members.
    1. Union affiliation clauses
    2. Union rights
    3. Union-management collusion
    4. Union security provisions 
26. During contract negotiations the union negotiator has brought up the issue of changing the way overtime work is assigned.
    1. Management must negotiate on this issue as it is a mandatory issue.
    2. Management does not need to negotiate on this issue because it is a permissive issue.
    3. This is a non-negotiable issue because scheduling is part of management's rights.
    4. Because the union negotiators are asking for a higher level of overtime pay than time-and-a-half, this is an illegal issue and management may refuse to negotiate.

27. If both parties agree, bargaining over                                                                                                  

issues is allowed.

27. 1. optional
    2. joint
    3. permissive
    4. co-operative 
28. If the organization argues that it cannot afford to pay what the union is asking, the employer must                                                                                                                                                                             .
    1. declare bankruptcy

1. 2. provide full financial disclosure information
   3. still negotiate in "good faith" until an agreement is reached
   4. provide necessary financial data if requested 

29. In                                                            , the parties agree to send negotiators who can bargain and make decisions, rather than people who do not have the authority to commit either group to a decision.
    1. good-faith negotiations
    2. labor/management negotiations
    3. honest bargaining
    4. collective bargaining 
30. The process by which union members vote to accept the terms of a negotiated labor agreement is called                                                                                                                                                                           .
    1. authorization
    2. certification
    3. ratification
    4. localization
31. Loamite, Inc. and its union have not been successful 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 the person will not be imposing a solution on the parties. Loamite is involved in

                                                .

31. 1. arbitration
    2. fact-finding
    3. mediation
    4. ratification 
32. The teachers' union in the Whispering Hills school district has not come to a collective bargaining agreement with the school board. A neutral third party has been brought in to make decisions on the topics that have kept the two parties from agreeing on a contract. This process is called

                                                .

1. 1. arbitration
   2. conciliation
   3. fact-finding
   4. mediation 

33. During a                                                             , union members refuse to work in order to put pressure on an employer.
    1. close-down
    2. lockout
    3. strike
    4. boycott 
34. In a                                                                               , management shuts down company operations to prevent union members from working.
    1. strike
    2. lockout
    3. close-down
    4. boycott 
35. What is the difference between a complaint and a grievance?
    1. They are different names for the same thing.
    2. Grievances are more informal, and do not follow a set procedure.
    3. Complaints relate to money issues; grievances to supervisory behavior.
    4. A grievance is a complaint formally stated in writing.

36.                                                      are formal communications channels designed to settle a grievance as soon as possible after the problem arises.
    1. Grievance procedures
    2. Contract procedures
    3. Legal processes
    4. Arbitration processes 

37.                                                          is a means by which a third party settles disputes arising from different interpretations of a labor contract.
    1. Mediation
    2. Court-ordered negotiation
    3. Grievance arbitration
    4. The Department of Labor negotiating team 

True and False

38. The primary determinant of whether or not employees unionize is the relationships they have with their coworkers.

39. In order for a unionized workplace to be more highly productive than a non-union workplace, management must find labor-saving production techniques.

40. A business agent is a company executive who has been appointed to negotiate with the union.

41. The Wagner Act declared, in effect, that the official policy of the U.S. government was to encourage collective bargaining.

42. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent board, appointed by the AFL-CIO.

43. The Wagner Act allows the President of the United States to declare that a strike presents a national emergency, which is one that would impact an industry or a major part of it in such a way that the national economy would be significantly affected.

44. The Taft-Hartley Act requires that the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service be notified of disputes over contract renewals if they are not settled within 30 days of the designated date.

45. Right-to-work laws prohibit employers from terminating employees who are union sympathizers.

46. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 established the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to oversee and administer union/management relations in the federal government.

47. The Landrum-Griffin Act was passed to protect the rights of individual union members from corruption in the union, and to ensure the democratic rights of union members.

48. An employer faced with a union organizing campaign may hold mandatory employee meetings.

49. Pilot Processing, Inc., being faced with a union organizing campaign, has decided to distribute anti-union leaflets at work and to employees’ homes via U.S. mail. Unfortunately, this would be considered an unfair labor practice.

50. Except in industries covered by the Railway Labor Act, supervisors are not eligible to be represented by a union.

51. The process of conciliation is a means of deciding a dispute in which negotiating parties submit the dispute to a third party to make a decision.

52. The final step of the grievance procedure is arbitration by an impartial third party.

Essay

53. Discuss the current "state of labor unions" in the United States.

54. Identify the three acts that constitute the U.S. labor law foundation. Provide a brief summary of these Acts, and explain the impact these acts have had on labor/management relations.