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Chapter 4: Establishing a Bargaining Unit and the
Organizing Campaign
1. Which of the following statements is true regarding an appropriate bargaining unit?
a. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is authorized to determine the
appropriateness of a bargaining unit.
b. There are rigid and constrictive regulations for dealing with recognition cases.
c. The board that determines the appropriateness of a bargaining unit is authorized to do so
by the Wagner Act.
d. The board that determines the appropriateness of a bargaining unit is not required to
choose the most appropriate unit, only an appropriate unit.
2. The ________ is authorized to decide on a case-by-case basis the “appropriate bargaining
unit” of employees for collective bargaining purposes.
a. Federal Labor Relations Authority
b. General Services Administration
c. National Labor Relations Board
d. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
3. The underlying principle for the NLRB’s determination of an appropriate unit is that only
employees who have ________ can be appropriately grouped in that unit.
a. the same number of years of total work experience
b. similar wages, hours, and working conditions
c. similar cultural and regional backgrounds
d. the same educational background
4. Which of the following doctrines refers to a criterion used by the NLRB to evaluate a
group of employees and determine whether they constitute an appropriate bargaining unit?
a. Globe doctrine
b. Mackay doctrine
c. community-of-interest doctrine
d. contract bar doctrine
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5. Which of the following terms refers to a practice of allowing the addition of new
employees and jobs to existing bargaining units provided their work satisfies the same
criteria of the original unit?
a. logrolling
b. attrition
c. moonlighting
d. accretion
6. If a company and a union in the company agree on the bargaining unit represented by the
union and inform the NLRB about it then the NLRB accepts the bargaining unit, provided
it does not violate principles in the National Labor Relations Act or established board
policy. The bargaining unit thus formed is known as the ________ unit.
a. residual
b. stipulated
c. departmental
d. remaining
7. Under the ________ doctrine, the board identified certain industries whose operations
were so integrated that craft workers could not be taken from the unit without affecting the
stability of labor relations.
a. community-of-interest
b. Globe
c. sovereignty
d. National Tube
8. After multiemployer collective bargaining has begun, an employer may withdraw with
________.
a. the permission of the Federal Labor Relations agency
b. the consent of the other employers in the multiemployer bargaining unit
c. the union’s consent
d. the permission of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
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9. ________ units consist of employees left unrepresented after the bulk of the employees are
organized, such as janitors and sales people.
a. Departmental
b. Craft
c. Stipulated
d. Residual
10. Which of the following statements is TRUE of the operation of a construction industry
unit?
a. In the construction industry, an employer may begin to bargain with a union before any
employees are hired for a new project.
b. A construction industry unit is required to show that it represents a majority of the
employees in an appropriate bargaining unit before it bargains with the employer.
c. For a Project Labor Agreement to be applicable, it is required that only union labor is
used on the project.
d. A Project Labor Agreement gives a union leverage in securing necessary permits,
resulting in a “labor monopoly” on the project.
11. Which of the following statements is TRUE of an industrial union?
a. Industrial unions are generally composed of highly skilled workers.
b. An industrial union is not required to show it represents a majority of the employees in an
appropriate bargaining unit before it bargains with the employer.
c. Organizations of autoworkers or rubber workers are examples of industrial unions.
d. Industrial workers can be hired for jobs only after they accept the membership of an
industrial union.
12. The full-time administrator of a local union paid to handle the negotiation and
administration of the union contract as well as the daily operation of the union hiring hall is
known as the ________.
a. free rider
b. boundary spanner
c. cheap rider
d. business agent
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13. An on-the-job union representative who carries out the responsibilities of the union in the
plant at the departmental level is known as a(n) ________.
a. free rider
b. steward
c. early adopter
d. business agent
14. Which of the following national unions is a part of the Change to Win Coalition?
a. International Union of Operating Engineers
b. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
c. International Association of Fire Fighters
d. Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
15. Which of the following terms refers to a movement initiated by dissatisfied employees or
a salaried staff member of a union to submit a representation petition to the NLRB and win a
representation election?
a. operant conditioning
b. social loafing
c. organizing drive
d. arbitration
16. During a union organizing campaign, which of the following requirements must be
fulfilled to qualify for an NLRB-sponsored election?
a. The employer must request the NLRB to conduct the election.
b. There should be more than 1000 employees in the bargaining unit.
c. 30 percent of the workforce should sign authorization cards.
d. The employer must prove that the union organizers are engaging in unfair labor practices.
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17. Which of the following terms refers to a program during which union members are
encouraged by their union to seek employment at a nonunion company and once hired, they
promote unionization in the nonunion company?
a. moonlighting
b. salting
c. dumping
d. astroturfing
18. To discourage unionization, a manager is allowed to ________.
a. threaten to close the facility if a union is voted in
b. tell employees that the law permits the company to permanently replace them if there is a
strike
c. promise employees a promotion if they vote against the union
d. visit employees’ homes for the purpose of urging them to reject the union
19. A manager cannot tell employees that ________ in order to discourage unionization.
a. the law permits the company to permanently replace them if there is a strike
b. management does not believe the employees need third-party representation
c. they will get a pay increase or better benefits if they vote against the union
d. they can actively campaign against the union
20. Which of the following statements is TRUE of an employee’s right to solicit union
support?
a. An employee can solicit support for the union during work hours.
b. An employee can never solicit support for the union on the employer’s property.
c. A nonemployee can solicit union support on the employer’s property irrespective of the
availability of the other means.
d. An employee can solicit support for the union after the regular workday on the employer’s
property.
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21. Typically, employees are allowed to distribute union literature ________.
a. at the workplace and during working hours
b. outside the workplace and during working times
c. at the workplace and during nonworking times
d. outside the workplace and during nonworking times
22. An employer can implement a “no–solicitation” policy for employees during both work
and nonwork hours if that policy ________.
a. extends to all types of solicitation
b. is approved by the union
c. allows the distribution of union literature at the workplace
d. is applicable only to union solicitation
23. Picketing a neutral party in order to have that neutral party pressure the targeted employer
on the union’s behalf is known as ________ picketing.
a. primary
b. wildcat
c. secondary
d. rolling
24. Which of the following petitions should be filed with the NLRB by 30 percent or more of
the employees to rescind a union shop agreement?
a. UD petition
b. RD petition
c. UC petition
d. AC petition
25. Which of the following petitions is filed with the NLRB to request the clarification of the
composition of a bargaining unit currently certified?
a. RC petition
b. UC petition
c. UD petition
d. AC petition
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26. An RD petition is filed with the NLRB to ________.
a. seek the certification of an appropriate unit
b. determine whether a recognized union still has the support of employees
c. rescind a union shop agreement provided it is supported by 30 percent or more of the
employees
d. request recognition of a change of circumstances such as a change of union name
27. An AC petition is filed with the NLRB ________.
a. to request that an appropriate unit be certified
b. to determine whether a recognized union still has the support of employees
c. to request that a change of circumstances be recognized
d. when a union no longer represents the majority of the employees
28. The first step in the election process to attain union certification is to ________.
a. conduct an internal secret-ballot election to assess the level of support before filing a
representation petition
b. investigate the background of the voters
c. file a representation petition at the office of the appropriate regional director
d. obtain a list of eligible voters’ names and addresses from the employer
29. At the time of an election, an employer can ________ without violating the NRLA.
a. threaten employees with loss of their job if they cast their vote during the election
b. communicate general views about unionism
c. promise economic benefits to the employees if they reject unionization
d. ask employees how they are going to vote in an election
30. An employer who entertains a good-faith reasonable doubt whether a majority of its
employees supports an incumbent union can, under established NRLB precedent, ________.
a. request a formal board-supervised election
b. appoint an employee team to replace the union
c. request the NLRB to accept the leadership of the union
d. unilaterally determine wages and benefits without consulting the union
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31. The successive election held when a representation election involving three or more
choices results in no one choice receiving the majority vote is known as a ________
election.
a. rolling
b. decertification
c. runoff
d. deauthorization
32. Which of the following statements is TRUE of certification of a union by the NLRB
using a secret-ballot election?
a. Once a union is certified by the NLRB, its status is binding on the employer for at least
two years, during which time the employer must bargain with it.
b. It is mandatory for a certified union to undergo a recertification election every two years.
c. If a certified union fails to reach its first contract within two months of bargaining, then it
is penalized under the NLRA.
d. The NLRB will not entertain a rival certification petition for a bargaining unit represented
by a certified union within the first year.
33. According to the ________ doctrine, the use of authorization cards is allowed as a
substitute for a certification election when an employer’s actions amount for unfair labor
practices and when the results of an election may be unreliable.
a. sovereignty
b. severability
c. Gissel
d. Globe
34. Which of the following is true of decertification petitions?
a. The union investigates the validity of the decertification petition.
b. Decertification petitions must be filed by both the employer and employees.
c. A union cannot be decertified by a simple majority vote.
d. Only employees can file a decertification petition.
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35. If the bargaining unit members decide that they desire to nullify the union shop provision
in their agreement, then it must be passed by a majority of the bargaining unit members. The
election held for this purpose is known as the ________ election.
a. rolling
b. deauthorization
c. runoff
d. decertification
True/False
36. The Labor-Management Relations Act authorizes the Federal Labor Relations Authority
to decide on a case-by-case basis the “appropriate bargaining unit” of employees for
collective bargaining purposes.
37. When the employer and union cannot agree on the unit, the Office of Advisory
Committee Management decides on “the unit appropriate for the purposes of collective
bargaining.”
38. The union has exclusive bargaining rights for only those employees within the
bargaining unit who join the union.
39. The Mackay doctrine established the NLRB policy to give weight to employee wishes
when determining an appropriate bargaining unit.
40. The NLRB considers the extent of unionization by a bargaining unit to be the controlling
factor in unit determination.
41. The considerations used to determine the appropriateness of a bargaining unit are not
legally binding formulas but an exercise in rational examination of the facts of an
individual case.
42. According to the National Labor Relations Act, supervisors can be included in a
bargaining unit.
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43. Supervisors enjoy the collective bargaining rights granted under the National Labor
Relations Act.
44. The National Labor Relations Act defines a supervisor as “someone using independent
judgment to assign and direct the work of other employees in the interest of the
employer.”
45. A craft unit is a bargaining unit composed exclusively of workers with a specific and
recognized skill, such as electricians or plumbers.
46. Collective bargaining can be conducted between a group of related employers and
representatives of their employees.
47. A construction industry unit is required to show that it represents a majority of the
employees in an appropriate bargaining unit before it bargains with the employer.
48. Industrial unions are generally composed of highly skilled workers.
49. Elected officials of local industrial unions become full-time administrators of the local
union and are paid to handle the negotiation and administration of the union contract.
50. Although the AFL-CIO is itself not a union, it represents U.S. labor in world affairs and
coordinates union activities such as lobbying and voter registration.
51. In 2005, seven national unions split from the Change to Win Coalition to form the AFL-
CIO.
52. Similar wages, hours, working rules, and conditions of employment can define a
community of interest in the public sector.
53. Only 30 percent of the workforce needs to sign authorization cards to qualify for an
NLRB-sponsored election for union organization.
54. If a union wins a secret-ballot election, the employer must recognize and collectively
bargain with the union, but is not required to agree to any issue or a contract.
55. The National Labor Relations Act prohibits an employer from refusing to hire an
applicant because of his or her union affiliation.
56. Employees can solicit union support even on the employer’s property on their own time.
57. Employees can be prohibited from wearing union buttons or insignias if that can cause
damage to a product, or offend or distract customers.
58. Employees have no statutory right to use an employer’s bulletin board, meeting halls, or
mailboxes.
59. A union must present evidence of employee support before a representation election is
held.
60. An RC petition is filed with the NLRB to request clarification of the composition of a
bargaining unit currently certified.
61. Once the NLRB has determined an election petition is valid, the employer is obligated to
furnish to the petitioning union a list of eligible voters’ names and addresses.
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62. The NLRB prohibits any electioneering at or near the polls in a campaign.
63. Once a union is certified by the NLRB, its status is binding on the employer for at least
four years, during which time the employer must bargain with it.
64. Only employees can file a decertification petition, which must include 30 percent of the
eligible members of the unit.
65. If a union loses a deauthorization election, the union still represents the employees in the
bargaining unit and the rest of the collective bargaining agreement remains intact, but
employees are not required to join the union.