Fundamentals of HR Management, 8e (Noe)
1) A craft union’s bargaining power depends greatly on the control it can exercise over the
supply of its workers.
2) A union steward is a person hired by an organization’s management to monitor union activity
and report violations, if any.
3) On average, unionized workers receive lower pay than their nonunionized counterparts.
4) Unlike union membership for workers in businesses, union membership among government
workers has remained strong.
5) Most studies have found that union workers are more productive than nonunion workers.
6) In their labor relations, managers prefer to increase wages and benefits and to give maximum
control to workers over work rules and schedules.
7) Under a checkoff provision, a person must be a union member before being hired.
8) Joining a union, whether recognized by the employer or not, is an activity protected under the
National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
9) Originally, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) did not contain a list of any unfair labor
practices by unions.
10) Right-to-work laws grant both the employee and employer the right to terminate the
employment relationship at any time with or without cause or notice.
11) If at least 30 percent of an organization’s employees sign an authorization card, the union
may request that the employer voluntarily recognize the union.
12) When a union and employer negotiate a contract, they cannot bar outside parties from
holding an election for more than three years.
13) In a company that wants to prevent a union from organizing its workers, the human resource
department should encourage supervisors to promise employees that they will receive an extra
day off if they don’t support the unionization effort.
14) Preparation, in collective bargaining, includes establishing objectives for the contract,
reviewing the old contract, and gathering data.
15) During a strike, the employer loses production unless it can hire replacement workers, and
even then, productivity may be reduced.
16) Mediation is the most formal and least used method of conflict resolution.
17) Contract administration includes carrying out the terms of the agreement and resolving
conflicts over interpretation or violation of the agreement.
18) Courts generally avoid reviewing arbitrators’ decisions and focus only on whether the
grievance involved an issue that is subject to arbitration under the contract.
19) Under the National Labor Relations Act, the union has a duty of fair representation, meaning
that the union must provide equal representation to all members of the bargaining unit, whether
or not they actually belong to the union.
20) Cooperation between labor and management may feature employee involvement in decision
making and self-managing employer teams.
21) When employees in an organization have reason to believe that the management is
overlooking their needs and interests, they are likely to respond by collectively forming
A) partnerships.
B) bureaus.
C) trade associations.
D) labor unions.
E) interest groups.
22) Organizations that are formed in order to represent their members’ interests while dealing
with employers are known as
A) employee guilds.
B) sororities.
C) lobbies.
D) member clubs.
E) labor unions.
23) Antonio, a new supervisor at Fresh Food Inc., is being trained on skills that managers and
union leaders require to encourage employee-management cooperation. He is learning the
different ways of dealing with employee-management conflicts and how to resolve situations in
ways that benefit both parties. In the context of labor management, Antonio is receiving training
on
A) checkoff provisions.
B) right-to-work laws.
C) maintenance of membership.
D) labor relations.
E) corporate campaigns.
24) A labor union in which all of the members have a particular skill or occupation is known as
a(n) ________ union.
A) common
B) industrial
C) craft
D) regional
E) employer’s
25) Alfonso, the union steward at Fizzy Soda, is attempting to persuade members of management
to make certain revisions to the company’s policies on job security and work rules on behalf of
the union. The union believes that company management has neglected these aspects of the
company’s administration system for too long. Which level of decisions is Alfonso most likely
concerned with in this scenario?
A) forming labor relations strategies
B) administering agreements
C) negotiating contracts
D) terminating contracts
E) forming dissociation strategies
26) The United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters is a labor union that seeks to unite
plumbers and pipefitters from around the country. The members of this union exhibit the same
set of skills and are proficient in relatively similar tasks. Such an association is most likely an
example of a(n)
A) craft union.
B) industrial union.
C) local union
D) business union.
E) vertical union.
27) What is true of a craft union?
A) It represents many different occupations.
B) Membership in the union is the result of working for a particular employer in the industry.
C) Changing employers is not very common.
D) It is often responsible for training members through apprenticeships.
E) It consists of members who are linked by their work in a particular industry.
28) Identify the statement that characterizes an industrial union.
A) All the members are in the same occupation.
B) Union leaders try to limit the number of members in order to maintain high wages.
C) Members are linked by their work in a particular industry.
D) Members change employers more frequently than in other types of unions.
E) It is responsible for training its members through apprenticeships.
29) Britney, a heavy equipment operator, Kristin, an operating engineer, and Sam, a construction
mechanic, hail from different parts of the United States. Though they have different occupations,
they are all members of the same union. In the context of types of union, Britney, Kristin, and
Sam most likely belong to a(n) ________ union.
A) international
B) industrial
C) stewards
D) checkoff
E) craft
30) A difference between an industrial union and a craft union is that only an industrial union
A) contains members who have a particular skill or occupation.
B) is often responsible for training its members through apprenticeships.
C) organizes as many employees in as wide a range of skills as possible.
D) represents a particular occupation.
E) comprises members who change employers more often.
31) Most national unions in the United States are linked with the ________, an association that
seeks to improve the shared interests of its member unions at the national level.
A) National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
B) Society of Modern Trade Workers and the Trade Federation of the States (SMTW-TFS)
C) American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
D) Chamber of Commerce (CoC)
E) National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
32) The employees of Fantasy Textiles are concerned about company management overlooking
their interests. They decide to form a union to voice their concerns and speak up for their rights.
They elect Gino to represent them during negotiations. Gino’s new role requires him to ensure
that the terms of the labor contract are enforced and that the interests of the union are met. In this
context, Gino most likely holds the position of
A) business representative.
B) chief executive officer.
C) stakeholder.
D) union trustee.
E) union steward.
33) Identify the right statement regarding the effects of unions on company performance.
A) As a result of the type of pay system favored by unions, employees are more inclined to
compete than cooperate.
B) Most studies show that union workers are less productive than nonunion workers.
C) On average, union members receive higher wages and more generous benefits than nonunion
workers.
D) The introduction of a union invariably results in the employer paying less attention to
employee ideas.
E) Evidence shows that unions have a large positive effect on profits.
34) Kristy, a production manager at Smart Designs, believes that the formation of labor unions
may have a negative impact on the performance of a company’s stock. Which statement is likely
to strengthen Kristy’s belief?
A) Workers in unionized organizations tend to exhibit lower levels of productivity than workers
in nonunion organizations.
B) Unionized organizations are often required to pay their workers higher wages and offer them
more generous benefits.
C) Studies reveal that unions do not have any positive effects on performance measures, such as
productivity, profits, and stock performance.
D) Unions tend to have a positive impact on the self-esteem of their members.
E) The formation of labor unions is likely to lead to conflicts between social and labor union
goals.
35) Which factor has been associated with the decline in union membership?
A) high regulation in such areas as workplace safety and equal employment opportunity
B) low competition between companies for scarce human resources
C) high job growth in the manufacturing sector of the economy
D) low costs of unionized labor
E) low prospects for growth in the service industry
36) Identify the correct statement about the trends in international union membership.
A) In Western Europe, it is common to have union coverage rates of 80 to 90 percent.
B) Coverage rates within the United States are much higher than in most other countries.
C) U.S. employees tend to have a larger, more formal role in organizational decision making
than in Western European countries.
D) Worker representatives on boards of directors are much more common in the United States
than in Western European countries.
E) The union membership rate in the U.S. is second only to that of Denmark.
37) Strikes are illegal in most states for which class of workers?
A) members of the AFL-CIO
B) members of craft unions
C) members of industrial unions
D) federal and state workers
E) union stewards
38) Employees of Nueroscience Inc. have been working to organize a union. The company’s
managers wish to maintain nonunion operations, because they believe the union’s demands for
more generous employee benefits would hurt profits. What evidence could the employees point
to in support of the idea that unions are good for business?
A) Unions can reduce turnover by giving employees a way to resolve problems.
B) Whether unions make employees more productive remains open to question.
C) Unions raise wage and benefits costs.
D) Evidence has found an association between union coverage and lower profits.
E) Unions decrease productivity because of the work rules they insist on.
39) With reference to the impact of unions on company performance, it can be said that
companies wishing to become more competitive must
A) continually monitor their labor relations strategy.
B) prohibit unions.
C) actively encourage unions.
D) deny collective bargaining rights to their employees.
E) pay workers well above market rates.
40) Brayden, a production manager at Helix Inc., is against the idea of forming a union. He
believes that unionization may negatively affect the company’s profit margins. Which statement
best supports Brayden’s viewpoint?
A) Union workers tend to exhibit lower levels of productivity than nonunion workers.
B) Unions are designed to cater to the interests of management rather than to those of employees.
C) Unionization tends to reduce the overall costs of labor and operations.
D) Forming an employee union will reduce the risk of work stoppages.
E) Unionization is associated with higher costs in wages and benefits.
41) Arman joins the human resource department at SmartFuel Inc., where the production
workers are represented by a union. Which goal would Arman most likely be expected to work
toward in supporting any negotiations with the union?
A) discouraging employees from forming a union
B) making managers and workers into adversaries
C) keeping operations flexible and retaining some control over schedules
D) raising the value of workers’ compensation package
E) ensuring a regular flow of new members into the union
42) Mark and his colleagues are members of the union at Newsprint Inc. While negotiating the
terms of the labor contract, they request their employer to deduct union dues from their
paychecks. This type of contractual arrangement between the two parties is known as a(n)
A) agency shop.
B) checkoff provision.
C) maintenance provision.
D) trade-off provision.
E) union shop.
43) MaryJo, a job applicant at Sleep Corp., discovers that the job she is applying for requires her
to be a union member before being hired. She also learns that this arrangement is illegal under
the National Labor Relations Act. In the context of the security provisions related to union
membership, this Sleep Corp. has a(n) ________ arrangement.
A) open shop
B) closed shop
C) checkoff provision
D) union shop
E) agency shop
44) Nevin joins Firebreak Inc. as an executive designer. The HR manager informs him that he
will have to join the labor union within a period of 30 days from his start date. In the context of
the security provisions related to union membership, Nevin’s HR manager is referring to a(n)
________ arrangement.
A) closed shop
B) maintenance of membership provision
C) agency shop
D) checkoff provision
E) union shop
45) Employees at Harper Industries have formed a union and are negotiating a union security
arrangement. Which option would be most favorable to the union and also be legal?
A) a closed shop, because any employee hired must be a union member
B) an agency shop, because it requires employees to join the union for the length of the contract
C) a union shop, because it requires all employees to join the union within 30 days of their start
date with the company
D) maintenance of membership rules, because they require that union members remain at the
company
E) free riders, because these let employees benefit from union activities without joining the
union
46) Which of the following is a union security arrangement that requires a person to pay union
dues, but is not required to join the union?
A) agency shop
B) union shop
C) closed shop
D) maintenance of membership
E) checkoff provision
47) Dan is a non-union employee at Lexia Inc. Although he does not intend to join the union at
the company, he is still required to pay union dues as part of a union contract with the company.
What does this scenario best exemplify?
A) an agency shop agreement
B) a checkoff provision
C) a union shop agreement
D) a trade-off provision
E) a closed shop agreement