Chapter 11—Managing Labor Relations
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The process of dealing with individuals in a company who are represented by a union is called:
a.
labor relations.
b.
benchmarking.
c.
total quality management.
d.
management by objectives.
e.
negotiated contracting.
2. ____ is the process by which managers and union representatives negotiate the terms and conditions of
employment.
a.
Benchmarking
b.
Total quality management
c.
Negotiated contracting
d.
Management by objectives
e.
Collective bargaining
3. Which of the following acts required management to bargain with labor unions in good faith?
a.
Taft-Hartley Act
b.
Wagner Act
c.
Landrum-Griffin Act
d.
Sherman Act
e.
Union Shop Act
4. Which of the following acts required labor unions to bargain with management in good faith?
a.
Taft-Hartley Act
b.
Wagner Act
c.
Landrum-Griffin Act
d.
Sherman Act
e.
Union Shop Act
5. Overall, union membership since 1955 has been
a.
holding steady.
b.
increasing greatly.
c.
constant.
d.
erratic.
e.
decreasing at an alarming rate.
6. The earliest unions to be developed in the United States represented specific types of workers and were
known as
a.
professional networks.
b.
job societies.
c.
worker permit groups.
d.
trade associations.
e.
craft unions.
7. The first major union to have a significant impact in the United States was called the
a.
American Federation of Labor.
b.
Knights of Labor.
c.
Congress of Industrial Organizations.
d.
Captains of Workers.
e.
Labor Club Organization.
8. The American Federation of Labor focused on what types of work?
a.
Blue-collar jobs
b.
Craft-based jobs
c.
Professional-level jobs
d.
Secretarial jobs
e.
White-collar jobs
9. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 outlawed
a.
union membership.
b.
collective bargaining.
c.
union shops.
d.
union stewards.
e.
union negotiations of working conditions.
10. The Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 requires national labor unions to elect new leaders every ____ years.
a.
two
b.
three
c.
five
d.
ten
e.
fifteen
11. Which of the following is the MOST accurate statement?
a.
Union-management relations are more hostile today than they were in the past.
b.
Unions are more powerful today than in the past, compared to the power of employers.
c.
Unions today rarely struggle with traditional, basic issues, such as wages.
d.
As unions have become smaller, their power has diminished.
e.
Employers today are controlled almost completely by powerful unions, due to increased
regulation of business.
12. Which of the following issues are receiving more attention from unions in recent years?
a.
Wages and hours
b.
Health benefits
c.
Pension benefits and job security
d.
Union membership
e.
New labor legislation
13. Once a bargaining unit has been determined, what is the next step in the unionization process?
a.
Getting 30 percent of eligible workers to sign authorization cards
b.
Conducting a secret ballot election
c.
Petitioning the NLRB to hold an election
d.
Instituting grievance procedures for dispute resolution
e.
Collective bargaining over a labor contract
14. Which of the following is necessary in order for decertification to occur?
a.
The union must have served as the collective bargaining agent for the employees for at least
one year.
b.
No labor contract can currently be in force.
c.
A majority of the members of the bargaining unit must vote for decertification.
d.
All of these.
e.
Both the union must have served as the collective bargaining agent for the employees for at
least one year and no labor contract can currently be in force.
15. Which of the following is NOT a mandatory subject of collective bargaining?
a.
Wages
b.
No-strike clauses
c.
Pension benefits
d.
Health benefits
e.
Working hours
16. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (a union representing truck drivers and others) collectively
bargains with Univar, the largest distributor of chemical products in the United States. Prior to collective
bargaining, who should have the responsibility of examining the financial condition of Univar?
a.
Univar
b.
The Teamsters’ leadership
c.
Truck drivers who are members of the Teamsters
d.
Both Univar and the Teamsters’ leadership
e.
Univar, the Teamsters’ leadership, and truck drivers who are members of the Teamsters
17. Which of the following is the term given to items such as wages, working hours, and benefits?
a.
Mandatory items
b.
Permissive items
c.
Negotiated items
d.
Price-point items
e.
Strike items
18. In negotiating a labor agreement, the union has decided that a pay raise of $1 per hour for every
employee is the minimum they will accept. If they are offered less than that, they will strike. This
amount is called the
a.
union resistance point.
b.
management resistance point.
c.
union target point.
d.
management target point.
e.
midpoint.
19. Which of the following tactics is illegal?
a.
Picketing
b.
Boycotts
c.
Economic strikes
d.
Lockouts
e.
All of these
20. One difference between mediation and arbitration is that
a.
arbitration occurs in a court of law; mediation does not.
b.
arbitration is compulsory; mediation is not.
c.
the recommendation of the arbitrator is binding; the recommendation of the mediator is not.
d.
mediation is compulsory; arbitration is not.
e.
the recommendation of the mediator is binding; the recommendation of the arbitrator is not.
21. Which of the following types of arbitration gives the parties the MOST incentive to reach a settlement on
their own?
a.
Target point arbitration
b.
Take-it-or-leave-it arbitration
c.
Strike-based arbitration
d.
Neutral arbitration
e.
Final-offer arbitration
22. Who normally conducts the first level of dispute resolution between a union member and an employer?
a.
The union president
b.
A member of the board of directors of the union
c.
The shop president
d.
The sergeant at arms
e.
The shop steward
23. Idalia, a union member working in a union shop, has a disagreement with her supervisor about overtime
pay. She goes to Nancy, her shop steward, with the complaint. What options does Nancy have to resolve
this dispute?
a.
Nancy can suggest that the supervisor be disciplined.
b.
Nancy can call for workers to strike.
c.
Nancy can ask Idalia to serve as an arbitrator for the dispute.
d.
Nancy can tell Idalia that the supervisor’s decision is appropriate/inappropriate.
e.
Nancy can request a secret ballot election.
24. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that labor unions oppose the use of prison labor?
a.
It is very easy to deny prisoners the right to form a union.
b.
Prison labor displaces low-wage workers in the economy.
c.
Prison labor does little to prepare prisoners for re-entry into the workforce following their
release.
d.
Prisoners are exploited because their wages are so low.
e.
There are more prisoners today, so more work is done though prison labor.
25. One of the biggest challenges that increased technology presents to unions is that
a.
younger workers are at a disadvantage.
b.
telecommuting is increasing.
c.
work can be performed with fewer employees.
d.
disabled workers need reasonable accommodations.
e.
employees need training.
26. In negotiating a labor agreement, the union hopes to avoid any changes to health benefits. This is called
the
a.
union target point.
b.
union resistance point.
c.
management resistance point.
d.
management target point.
e.
midpoint.
27. A(n) ____ is simply a situation in which at least one party believes that reaching an agreement is not
imminent.
a.
arbitration
b.
mediation
c.
strike
d.
impasse
e.
lock out
28. New electronic technology has been a(n) ____ for the U.S. labor movement.
a.
huge help
b.
obstacle
c.
mixed blessing
d.
threat
e.
burden
29. Under U.S. labor laws, ____ workers are considered independent contractors or self-employed laborers.
a.
knowledge
b.
union
c.
consultant
d.
contingent
e.
prison
30. ____ items may be included in the collective bargaining if both parties agree.
a.
Mandatory
b.
Oblique
c.
Permissive
d.
Progressive
e.
Regressive
Scenario 11.1
During the Olympics, beach volleyball received prime time network coverage and the popularity of the
sport greatly increased. Some athletes discussed unionizing like other professional athletes. If they
did that in the US, our laws would apply.
31. Refer to Scenario 11.1. What is the first step that athletes should take to begin the unionization process?
a.
Hold a secret ballot election.
b.
Ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold a certification election.
c.
Call in a union organizer to stimulate interest in unionization.
d.
Call for a boycott of competition until the owners unionizes the athletes.
e.
Ask for an arbitrator to decide the issue of unionization.
32. Refer to Scenario 11.1. What percentage of athletes must request a certification election before
petitioning the National Labor Relations Board to conduct an election?
a.
15 percent
b.
30 percent
c.
40 percent
d.
50 percent
e.
75 percent
33. Refer to Scenario 11.1. Before a certification election can be held,
a.
the athletes must file a specific grievance against management.
b.
a majority of the athletes must express an interest in unionization.
c.
the National Labor Relations Board must define the bargaining unit.
d.
the current labor contract must have expired.
e.
10 percent of the athletes must sign authorization cards.
34. Refer to Scenario 11.1. For a certification election to succeed,
a.
a majority of the athletes in the bargaining unit must approve the union.
b.
a majority of athletes who signed authorization cards must approve the union.
c.
30 percent of the athletes in the bargaining unit must approve the union.
d.
30 percent of the athletes voting in the election must approve the union.
e.
a majority of the athletes voting in the election must approve the union.
35. Refer to Scenario 11.1. Negotiating a contract between athletes and management is called
a.
arbitration.
b.
striking.
c.
collective bargaining.
d.
locking out.
e.
mediation.
TRUE/FALSE
36. Local unions are usually coordinated by a regional officer.
37. Since the mid-1950s, unions have experienced decreasing difficulty in attracting new members.
38. The bargaining unit is the group of employees who are eligible for representation by the union.
39. Mandatory items include wages, working hours, and benefits.
40. Management can include a clause in the labor contract specifying that the union promises not to strike.
41. Negotiating power is a function of negotiating skills, data on other settlements, and the financial
resources needed by the union to call for a strike or by management to survive one.
42. The foremost barrier to effective negotiation between management and labor is a negative settlement
zone.
43. A boycott occurs when union members agree to not buy products from a targeted employer.
44. Target has a no solicitation policy. That means that no employee can solicit other employees on
company time for any cause except United Way campaigns. It also means Karen cannot sell Girls
Scouts cookies to her coworkers.
45. U.S. labor unions have become quite vocal in speaking out against child labor in Third World countries
and the general exportation of jobs to lower-paying countries. Union positions on these issues reflect
their self-interests.
SHORT ANSWER
46. Summarize the early history of labor unions in the United States. What innovations did each new group
offer?
47. Briefly describe each of the steps in the unionization process, including who is responsible for each
action.
48. How can management prepare for collective bargaining? How can a union prepare for collective
bargaining?
49. What are some barriers to effective negotiation?
50. Summarize the positions of labor unions on prison labor and contingent workers.