Chapter 11

In the day-to-day administration of a collective bargaining agreement, the majority of time is spent on ________.

grievance handling

If an employee does not like the harsh tone of his supervisor, the employee is said to have a(n) ________.

gripe

Which of the following types of employee misconduct is most likely to be handled through a progressive discipline system?

loafing during working hours

If an employee holds a second job during his/her free time then it is known as ________.

moonlighting

Which of the following is most likely to be used to assemble the crucial facts in a grievance?

5Ws rule

Which of the following statements is TRUE of a grievance procedure?

A grievance procedure must be provided in the collective bargaining agreement.

Which of the following statements is TRUE of a last chance agreement?

A last chance agreement allows an employee who was fired for misconduct his job back with the condition that if the employee violates the agreement he will be discharged without right of an appeal.

During which of the following steps is a grievance said to have moved from the formal to informal stage?

An employee completes a grievance form.

Which of the following is an appropriate practice to be followed during a disciplinary investigation from the management's point of view?

Before taking disciplinary action, consider the employee's past record.

Mathew has been working in a production company for the past 15 years. According to the union contract provision, the company grants promotions only on the basis of seniority. When a promotion opportunity came up, Mathew thought he would be given the promotion because of his seniority. But to his dismay, the promotion was given to his colleague who had joined the company a year ago. Mathew reported the grievance to the shop steward and he agreed that the grievance had some merit and should be pursued further. What is the immediate next step that Mathew and the steward should take?

Complete a grievance form.

Which of the following statements is TRUE of a disciplinary procedure?

Disciplinary procedures are outlined in most collective bargaining agreements.

________ are the most common tool to resolve conflicts arising between labor and management during the life of the agreement.

Formal grievance procedures

Which of the following is a Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services' guideline for grievance mediation?

If the parties cannot resolve the problem, the mediator may provide the parties in joint or separate session with an oral advisory opinion.

Which of the following statements is TRUE of a progressive discipline system?

It allows employees to correct their inappropriate behavior without serious or permanent consequences.

Which of the following types of employee misconduct is most likely to warrant discharge on the first incident?

Jack damages a glass cutting machine at the work place to inconvenience his colleague who uses it.

The ________, in addition to civil and antidiscrimination laws, provides restrictions on employee discipline. The act prohibits disciplinary action against employees for union-related activity.

Labor-Management Relations Act

An employer's refusal to process grievances is a violation of the ________.

National Labor Relations Act

Which of the following organizations is responsible for resolving labor disputes in the railroad and airline industries?

National Mediation Board

William has been working at H&S for the past 12 years. When some family trouble arose, William wanted to work in the afternoon shift for a month rather than his usual morning shift. The work performed in the afternoon shift was exactly the same as that in the morning shift and William had all the skills required to perform the job. One of his colleagues, Jack, who worked on the afternoon shift, was willing to swap shifts with William for a month but the supervisor did not allow William to change his shift. William reported the grievance to the union and it could not be resolved even after a long discussion with the management. Which of the following steps is most likely to be taken by the union as the final step in the grievance handling procedure?

Request an arbitrator to resolve the grievance.

With reference to employee misconduct, which of the following statements is TRUE of serious offenses?

Serious offenses under normal circumstances warrant immediate discharge.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding grievance mediation?

The grievance mediation process is confidential and mediator has no authority to compel a resolution.

Which of the following is a major disadvantage of grievance mediation?

There is a possibility that the process of mediation will not lead to any settlement.

Which of the following is the last step of a grievance procedure in most collective bargaining agreements?

accepting an arbitrator's decision

A(n) ________ agreement is an agreement between the union and the employer that allows an employee who was fired for misconduct his job back with the condition that if the employee violates the agreement he will be discharged without right of an appeal.

blast chance

Which of the following terms refers to a written agreement that describes the conduct of an employee that led to the potential termination, specific policy violations, and specific work requirements that if not met will lead to termination in the future, as well as the employee's forfeit of arbitration or litigation rights?

collective bargaining agreement

The initial step in a grievance procedure usually instructs an employee to ________.

discuss the grievance with the shop steward

In the case of a grievance procedure, at which stage are most grievances containing little merit dropped?

discussing the grievance with the supervisor after it is put in writing

The union contract provisions usually include that ________ may request arbitration as a final step in resolving the grievance.

either management or labor

Which of the following is most likely to be considered a minor offence?

failure to attend meetings

A perceived violation of a contract provision is known as a(n) ________.

grievance

When the shop steward and supervisor cannot resolve the grievance, then it may be appealed to the next higher level of management and union representative, usually within ________ calendar days.

seven

Which of the following factors is most likely to be considered by an arbitrator while resolving a case of employee misconduct?

the employee's length of service with the company

Which of the following is usually sufficient ground for immediate discharge?

unauthorized strike participation

Which of the following is a means of attaining grievance resolution at the lowest possible level?

using feedback from previous grievance cases

Which of the following is most likely to be an offence that calls for immediate discharge?

workplace violence