Opportunity 4 - Final Exam

Currently, ________ percent of states have workers' compensation laws.

100

Under federal law, how much time does a union have after the representation election as an exclusive representative to reach a contract for the newly organized workers?

12 months

The ________ was organized in 1886 as a group of national craft unions.

American Federation of Labor

________ incentive plans encourage the efficient use of existing assets.

Annual

Which of the following statements is true of the Landrum Griffin Act of 1959?

It included the secondary boycott as an unfair labor practice.

Which of the following statements is true of effective integrative bargaining?

It involves first identifying, then solving, problems.

Which of the following statements is true of the grievance arbitration stage of the grievance process used by management and labor?

It is used to ensure labor peace for the duration of a labor contract.

Which of the following statements is true of the Employee Free Choice Act regarding unions and employees?

It proposes to bypass a secret-ballot election.

________ is not legally required, and, because of unemployment compensation, many firms do not offer it.

Severance pay

Which law offers full coverage for retirees, dependent survivors, and disabled persons insured by 40 quarters of payroll taxes on their past earnings or earnings of heads of households?

Social Security Act

In the context of merit-pay systems, the ________ occurs when past merit payments are incorporated into an individual's base salary and the resulting regularly paid sums of money allow formerly productive individuals to slack off and still earn a high pay.

annuity problem

Whenever an organizing drive begins, employees are asked to sign ________ that designate the union as the employees' exclusive representation in bargaining with management.

authorization cards

The group of employees eligible to vote in a representation election is termed a(n):

bargaining unit.

The type of pension plan that offers all employees the same, steady annual credit toward an eventual pension is a(n):

cash-balance plan.

The Japanese value ________ and tend to resolve conflict by emphasizing status differences between the parties.

collectivism

When ________ fail, the union may strike, management may shut down operations, or both parties may appeal for third-party involvement.

contract negotiations

Limiting Medicare payments to what Medicare would have paid for in the absence of a group health plan and to the actual charge for the services is an example of what is referred to as:

cost shifting.

Distinctive features of the U.S. industrial relations system compared with those of other countries include:

decentralized collective bargaining, exclusive representation, relatively high union dues and large union staffs

The type of private pension plan in which an employer promises to pay a retiree a stated pension is a:

defined-benefit plan.

An individual or group health plan that provides or pays the cost of medical care may not:

disclose protected health information.

Actions by a union of withdrawing its labor in support of bargaining demands, including those for recognition or organization, are:

economic strikes.

The U.S. health insurance system is based primarily on group coverage provided by:

employers.

In the context of legislation that determines the internal practices of organizations, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act holds that:

executives cannot retain bonuses or profits from selling company stock if they mislead the public about the financial health of the company.

The process of assessing the relative worth of jobs to a firm is called:

job evaluation.

Open pay systems tend to work best when:

job performance can be measured objectively

A recent MetLife survey showed that 73 percent of employees who were highly satisfied with their benefits were also satisfied with their ________.

jobs

One way to classify performance incentives is according to the ________ targeted.

level of performance

A(n) ________ is a defined-contribution pension plan in which an employer contributes a set percentage of each vested employee's salary to his or her retirement account; annual investment earnings and losses are added to or subtracted from the account balance.

money-purchase plan

At a broad level, a(n) ________ includes anything an employee values and desires that an employer is able and willing to offer in exchange for employee contributions.

organizational reward system

In the context of pay planning and administration, ________ is the narrowing of ratios of pay between jobs or pay grades in a firm's pay structure.

pay compression

An employee stock-ownership plan (ESOP) is a form of a ________.

profit-sharing plan

In the context of incentives for low-level employees, a ________ is a one-time bonus that an employer may offer an employee as a reward for exceptional performance.

spot bonus

The role of the line manager in grievance procedures is to know and understand ________, as well as federal and state labor laws.

the collective-bargaining contract

Employee stock-ownership plan satisfaction tends to be highest in companies where:

the company makes relatively large annual contributions to the plan.

At lower levels, ________ systems almost guarantee cost control.

variable-pay

Generally, employees of nonagricultural, private-sector firms are entitled to benefits for work-related accidents and illnesses leading to temporary or permanent disabilities under:

workers' compensation.

Which of the following is NOT another name for gain-sharing?

Control-based compensation

Which of the following statements is true of economic strikes?

Economic strikers have limited rights to reinstatement

The benefits of the ________ are based on a percentage of average weekly earnings and are available for up to 26 weeks.

Federal Unemployment Tax Act

the Social Security Act

In the context of the four major income-maintenance laws, ________ excludes federal government employees hired prior to January 1, 1984.

________ revenue theory in labor economics holds that unless an employee can produce a value equal to the value of received wages, it will not be worthwhile to hire that worker.

Marginal

Which type of pay structure is feasible if all jobs are benchmark jobs and direct matches can be found in the market?

Market-based pay system

Which of the following is NOT an area of payment covered by workers' compensation?

Payments to employers while injured workers are recovering

________ are criteria that specify how well work is to be done by defining levels of acceptable or unacceptable employee behavior.

Performance standards

Which of the following acts enables states to enact right-to-work laws that prohibit compulsory union membership (after a probationary period) as a condition of continued employment?

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

Which act created the National Labor Relations Board to supervise representation elections and to investigate charges of unfair labor practices by management?

The Wagner Act

Workers Compensation

The benefits of ________ average about two-thirds of an employee's weekly wage and continue for the term of a disability.

________ is one of the leading causes for an increase in the cost of health care.

The increase in drug costs

Which of the following rights is protected by the Landrum Griffin Act?

The right of employees to strike in support of their bargaining demands

Which of the following statements is true of lockouts in organizations?

They are legitimate employer tactics to decrease union power in situations where a lockout is done to avoid economic loss.

In the context of pay-system mechanics, which of the following is a disadvantage of competency-based payment plans?

They become increasingly expensive as the majority of employees become certified at the highest pay levels.

Identify a true statement about point-of-service (POS) plans.

They combine the features of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs).

In the context of setting incentives for lower-level employees, identify a true statement about performance standards.

They make it easier for supervisors to assign work to employees equitably.

Identify a true statement about preferred provider organizations (PPOs).

They pay 80 to 100 percent for what is done within the network but only 50 to 70 percent for services rendered outside it.

Unprotected strikes

________ include work stoppages, both lawful and unlawful, such as sit-down strikes, strikes in violation of federal laws, slowdowns, wildcat strikes that occur while a contract is in force, and partial walkouts.