55. The main objectives of organized labor, better wages and shorter hours, have remained
remarkably stable over time.
56. Wage rates, hours of work, employee benefits, and job rights and seniority are issues
covered in a typical negotiated labor-management agreement.
57. A
union security clause
in a labor-management agreement stipulates that employees who
benefit from a union must either officially join or at least pay dues to the union.
58. The negotiated labor-management agreement clarifies the terms and conditions under
which labor and management agree to function over a specified period of time.
59. Under a closed shop agreement, workers must agree not to join a union in order to keep
their jobs.
60. Until passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, under a
closed shop
agreement, a company could
only hire workers who already belonged to a union.
61. Under a union shop agreement, workers must belong to a union before they can be hired.
62. The Taft-Hartley Act made the union shop agreement illegal in all states.
63. A
union shop
agreement
is illegal in states that have passed right–to-work laws.
64. In an
agency shop agreement
, workers who do not belong to the union must pay a union
fee or pay regular union dues.
65. Under an
agency shop
agreement
, only union members are represented at the bargaining
table.
66. Under an
open shop
agreement
, workers have the option to join or not join a union, if one
is present in the workplace.
67. A grievance is a charge by managers that the union is not abiding by the terms of the
negotiated labor-management agreement.
68. The sources of many grievances include overtime rules, promotions, layoffs, and job
assignments.
69. The vast majority of grievances filed by union members are negotiated and resolved by
shop stewards and supervisory managers.
70. A bargaining zone is the time period during which a third party is used to reach agreement
on union disputes.
71. A mediator has the power to impose a binding settlement on labor and management.
72. Arbitration is an agreement to bring in an impartial third party to render a binding decision
in a labor dispute.
73. Many of the negotiated labor-management agreements in the United States call for the
use of an arbitrator to end labor disputes.
74. Arbitration and mediation are alike in that both involve an impartial third party to help in
the negotiation process. The differences in these two approaches is that an arbitrator’s decision
is binding and both parties agree to this on the front end; a mediator encourages the two
conflicting parties to continue to negotiate and may make suggestions in pursuit of a resolution.
75. In the past, a variety of professionals have served as mediators. If a labor dispute were to
break out between the management at an auto manufacturer and the local union that represents
workers at the auto manufacturing plant, it would be highly unusual for a university professor
who has studied labor relations to be asked to mediate. The disputing parties would save his
time for something more serious like arbitration.
76. Mississippi has passed a right-to-work law, which means that union shops are illegal in
the state.
77. Winona was recently hired to work at a production plant for Additup Manufacturing.
When hired, she was told she must join the union at the plant within 90 days in order to keep her
job. Winona is employed in an agency shop.
78. Marina works for a company in which a union is recognized as the bargaining agent for
the workers who perform her type of job. However, under the arrangements at her company,
Marina is not required to join the union, nor is she required to pay any fees or dues to the union.
Marina works under an
agency shop
agreement.
79. Mike began working for a company that operates under an
open shop
arrangement.
Under this type of arrangement, Mike must join the union at his company within 90 days or he
will lose his job.
80. Labor and management at the Brookwood Company have reached an impasse in their
efforts to negotiate an acceptable labor-management agreement. The two sides have agreed to
bring in an arbitrator. If the arbitrator issues a ruling that the union does not like, it can veto the
decision.
81. Ashleigh has played a number of supporting roles on TV sitcoms. In her last role, she
understood her contract to obligate her to perform in 22 episodes for a stipend of $500 per
episode. After completion of 11 episodes, Ashleigh became ill and was unable to complete the
episodes in a timely manner. The studio claimed that Ashleigh broke her contract and they are
not obligated to pay her. She is confident that an impartial third party will view her circumstances
as exceptional and will rule that she be reimbursed for the 11 performances. She has agreed to
mediation.
82. Jian is a well-known professor of labor relations at a major university. She recently was
asked by representatives of labor and management at a nearby corporation to help them resolve
a disagreement that threatened to cause a breakdown in negotiations. If Jian agrees to help, her
role will be to encourage both parties to continue negotiating and to offer constructive advice and
suggestions, but she will not have the authority to render a binding decision. Jian’s role is that of
a mediator.
83. Management at Enomoto Enterprises has assigned Alberto to work at two different
facilities, which will require him to commute an extra 25 miles on the days he must work at both
plants. Alberto believes that the negotiated labor-management agreement requires the company
to reimburse him for the extra mileage he has to drive. Management disagrees. Alberto has
decided to file a charge that management is not abiding by the terms of the negotiated
agreement. Alberto’s complaint is called a grievance.
84. A
lockout
is a tactic utilized by unions when collective bargaining breaks down.
85. The
strike
historically has been the most powerful weapon unions use to achieve their
objectives in labor disputes.
86. A
boycott
occurs when workers collectively refuse to go to work.
87. Strikes have been an effective way of settling labor disputes without violence and
bitterness.
88. Postal workers and other employees of the federal government who provide important
services are allowed to form unions, but are denied the right to strike.
89. The “blue flu” refers to a situation in which union members (like firefighters) who are not
allowed to strike refuse to work by calling in sick.
90. A
cooling-off period
is when workers in a critical industry return to their jobs while the
union and management continue negotiations.
91. In a
primary boycott
, a union encourages its members and the general public not to buy
the goods and services produced by a firm involved in a labor dispute.
92. In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that primary boycotts are illegal.
93. Tactics used by management when collective bargaining breaks down include injunctions
and lockouts.
94. The most potent weapon currently available to management when collective bargaining
breaks down is the use of yellow-dog contracts.
95. The Supreme Court ruled in 1938 that employers had the right to hire strikebreakers.
96. A common tactic of management in labor disputes is the use of secondary boycotts.
97. The use of strikebreakers did not become a common management tactic used in labor
disputes until the 1980s.
98. Workers who are hired to do the jobs of striking workers until the strike is over are called
“scabs” by the union.
99. A court order directing someone to do something or to refrain from doing something is
called a judicial citation.
100. Hiring strikebreakers to replace striking workers was historically a common management
tactic during labor disputes, but it is seldom used today.
101. The Taft-Hartley Act authorizes the U.S. president to ask for a cooling-off period to
temporarily prevent a strike in a critical industry.
102. Courts will issue an injunction against union tactics only if management can show a “just
cause” to restrict the union tactic.
103. The lockout is the most common tactic used by management today to deal with labor
management disputes.
104. Unions have used givebacks as a tactic to increase membership of a culturally diverse
workforce.
105. The largest labor organization in the U.S. is the National Education Association (NEA).
106. Membership in labor unions has grown steadily over the past 50 years.
107. The unions of the 21st century are likely to be quite different from those in the past.
108. In the future, unions are likely to leave training and recruitment of workers to
management, and focus instead on encouraging those workers to join the union.
109. In the next few years, unions are likely to find that they must adopt a tough,
confrontational approach in order to get what they want from management.
110. The Taft-Hartley Act gives the president the power to require striking workers in any
industry to return to their jobs for a cooling-off period while representatives of management and
the union continue to negotiate.