Chapter 12: Dealing with Employee-Management Issues

The negotiated labor-management agreement that clarifies the terms and conditions under which management and a union will operate for a specified period is also known as a(n)

labor contract

The difference between working conditions in factories today and those in the early 1900s is that:

labor unions and the law have improved them

The goal of the Knights of Labor was to establish the first labor union.

national

The concerns of most labor unions today have evolved to include:

offshore outsourcing child and elder care worker retraining

In the future, labor unions are likely to focus on:

pay equity

The Industrial Revolution made the United States an economic world power through huge increases in _________ from mass production.

productivity

Workplace violence is:

responsible for 19 percent of women's workplace deaths the greatest cause of women's death in the workplace

In 1997, the Supreme Court reinforced that both genders are covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1991 when it ruled that sexual harassment included:

same-sex harassment

CEO bonuses and compensation packages are usually tied to increases in the company's

stock price

The union tactic used in a labor-management dispute when the workers collectively refuse to go to work is a(n) ______

strike

When workers stop production by refusing to work, it is a union strategy known as a(n)

strike

Both men and women are protected from sexual harassment by:

the Civil Rights Act of 1991

What are some of the issues companies are facing related to child care and elder care? How are companies addressing those issues?

Issues of child care or elder care are of concern to employers, since these issues account for reduced productivity, absenteeism, and high turnover. Another issue to consider is who pays for the care of a child or an aging parent. Companies are addressing these issues by arranging discounts at national child care chains, subsidizing payment for child care, developing referral services to identify high-quality providers of care, creating on-site child care centers or sick-child centers, offering health-spending accounts allowing workers to set aside pretax dollars for elder-care expenses, and offering flexible work schedules.

The first national labor union whose goal was to gain significant political power was the:

Knights of Labor

A(n) (open/closed) shop agreement specified that workers had to be union members before they were hired for a job.

closed

A clause in a labor contract that required workers to be members of the union before being hired was known as a(n):

closed shop agreement

An Electrical Workers Union is the type of union known as a(n) ______ union.

craft or trade

An organization of skilled specialists in a particular trade, such as plumbers, is a(n):

craft union

OSHA reports that workplace violence is the number one cause of for women in the workplace.

death, fatalities, or homicides

The substances that create the greatest safety problems in the workplace are and .

drugs alcohol

When a supervisor repeatedly rubs the back of a female employee's neck and puts his arm around her, but does not say anything or ask for sexual favors, it is:

hostile environment sexual harassment

What types of workers do unions need to organize in the future?

To remain relevant, unions must attract new members. This includes more professional, female, and foreign-born workers. Both the Teamsters Union and Service Employees International Union are targeting workers in health care, technology, and finance.

A 1997 Supreme Court decision stated that same-sex harassment is also covered by sexual harassment law.

True

The Civil Rights Act of 1991 protects both men and women from sexual harassment.

True

LO 12-1 Trace the history of organized labor in the United States.

Unions •An employee organization that has the main goal of representing members in employee-management bargaining over job-related issues. •Labor unions responsible for protecting employees from intolerable work conditions and unfair treatment, and to secure some say in the operation of their jobs. •Unions have lost economic and political power, and membership has declined. The History of Organized Labor •Craft union — An organization of skilled specialists in a particular craft or trade. •As early as 1792, shoemakers in a Philadelphia craft union met to discuss fundamental work issues. •Work weeks were 60+ hours, wages were low, and child labor was rampant.

One reason that employers are concerned with the number of women with children in the workforce is because result in large and costly decreases in productivity.

absences

Quid pro quo sexual harassment is when:

accepting a sexual request is linked to job security rejecting a sexual request leads to termination of employment accepting a sexual request is linked to promotion

A(n) shop agreement does not require workers to belong to the union, but they must pay a fee for the services of the union that represents them.

agency

The labor agreement under which workers represented by the union pay a fee but do not have to become union members is a(n):

agency shop agreement

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 made which of these union practices illegal?

Secondary boycotts Closed shop agreements

How do changes in the economy affect the objectives of unions?

Unions and their objectives have frequently shifted with social and economic trends. In the 1970s, the primary objective was additional pay and benefits, while in the 1980s unions focused on job security. During the 1990s and 2000s, job security remained a key issue as unions tried to cope with global competition and outsourcing.

The trend toward violence in the workplace has been:

decreasing since the 1990s

CEO compensation and bonuses are, theoretically, determined by a firm's:

increase in stock price profitability

When a court issues an order to do or not do a specific activity, it is known as a(n):

injunction

A goal of management is to increase a company's ______, while a goal of labor unions is to provide a fair share of profits to their ______.

profits; members

If a supervisor offers an employee a pay raise in exchange for going out on a date, it is

sexual harassment

LO 12-3 Outline the objectives of labor unions.

Objectives of Organized Labor over Time •Negotiated Labor-Management Agreement (labor contract) — Agreement that sets the tone and clarifies the terms under which management and labor agree to function over a period of time. •Union security clause — Provision in a negotiated labor-management agreement that stipulates that employees who benefit from a union must either officially join or at least pay dues to the union. •Union security agreements: •Closed shop agreement — Specified workers had to be members of a union before being hired; outlawed in 1947. •Union shop agreement — Says workers do not have to be members of a union to be hired, but must agree to join the union within a prescribed period. •Agency shop agreement — Says employers may hire nonunion workers; employees are not required to join the union but must pay a union fee. •Right-to-work laws — Legislation that gives workers the right, under an open shop, to join or not join a union if it is present. •The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 granted states the power to outlaw union shop agreements. •Open shop agreement — Agreement in right-to-work states that gives workers the option to join or not join a union, if one exists in their workplace.

LO 12-4 Describe the tactics used by labor and management during conflicts, and discuss the role of unions in the future.

Union Tactics •Strike — A union strategy in which workers refuse to go to work; the purpose is to further workers' objectives after an impasse in collective bargaining. •Cooling-off period — When workers in a critical industry return to their jobs while the union and management continue negotiations. •Primary boycott — When a union encourages both its members and the general public not to buy the products of a firm involved in a labor dispute. •Secondary boycott — An attempt by labor to convince others to stop doing business with a firm that is the subject of a primary boycott; prohibited by the Taft-Hartley Act. •Lockout — An attempt by management to put pressure on unions by temporarily closing the business. •Injunction — A court order directing someone to do something or to refrain from doing something. •Strikebreakers — Workers hired to do the jobs of striking workers until the labor dispute is resolved; called scabs by unions.

Activities of the National Labor Relations Board include:

investigating labor practices overseeing union election campaigns

A legal agreement that clarifies the terms and conditions under which labor and management will operate over a period of time is a(n) ______.

labor contract negotiated labor-management agreement

The Industrial Revolution changed the economic structure of the United States because:

mass production brought huge increases in productivity

The clause included in many union contracts that requires those benefiting from the union to pay dues is a union ___ clause.

security

What are the major laws that affected union growth, and what does each one cover?

. The major laws that affected union growth are: •The Norris-LaGuardia Act prohibited employers from using contracts that forbid union activities and paved the way for union growth in the United States. •The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act allowed collective bargaining and created the National Labor Relations Board. •The Fair Labor Standards Act set a minimum wage and maximum basic hours for work. •The Labor-Management Relations Act or Taft-Hartley Act amended the Wagner Act and permitted states to pass laws prohibiting compulsory union membership, set up methods to deal with strikes that impact national health and safety, closed-shop agreements, and prohibited wage payments for work not performed (featherbedding). This law weakened union power in the U.S. •The Labor-Management Report and Disclosure Act or Landrum-Griffin Act amended the Taft-Hartley Act and Wagner Act and guaranteed individual rights of union members in dealing with their union such as the right to nominate candidates for union office, vote in union elections, attend and participate in union meetings, vote on union business, and examine union records and accounts. The goal of this legislation was to eliminate union corruption.

Laws allowing labor unions to form and providing for a minimum wage did not exist in:

1900

The length of the average work week in the early 1900s was:

60 hours

The right to form a(n) _________ ________________ did not exist until the the Wagner Act and the National Labor Relations Act in the early 1930s.

Blank 1: labor Blank 2: union or organization

Which of the following are craft unions?

Electricians Plumbers Pipe fitters

The of 1963 requires companies to give equal pay to men and women who do the same job.

Equal Pay Act

What is the difference between pay equity and equal pay for equal work?

Equal pay for equal work refers to giving equal pay to men and women who do the same job. This concept was codified in the 1963 Equal Pay Act. Pay equity goes beyond this concept and says people in jobs that require similar levels of education, training, or skills should receive equal pay. For example, the pay of an occupation traditionally considered a woman's job, such as a bank teller, should pay the same as a truck driver, which is typically considered a man's job.

In the future, unions are likely to focus on which of these issues?

Executive compensation Child and elder care

How does top-executive pay in the United States compare with top-executive pay in other countries?

Executive pay in the U.S. is significantly higher than in other countries. For example, the typical European CEO earns only about 40 percent of what their U.S. counterpart makes.

Closed shop agreements were created in the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

False

The need to continually increase productivity led to improved working conditions in factories.

False

Overseeing union election campaigns and investigating labor practices are duties of the:

National Labor Relations Board

What is the percent of women in the workforce with children under 18?

Nearly 75 percent

LO 12-5 Assess some of today's controversial employee-management issues, such as executive compensation, pay equity, sexual harassment, child care and elder care, drug abuse and drug testing, and violence and bullying in the workplace.

Pay Equity •Women earn 81 percent of what men earn. •This disparity varies by profession, experience, level of education, age, location, and other factors. •Women earn almost 60 percent of the bachelor's and master's degrees awarded, and more doctoral degrees. •Women are underrepresented in managerial positions.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires employers to:

Pay men and women equally for doing the same work

How is the term sexual harassment defined, and when does sexual behavior become illegal?

Sexual harassment refers to any unwelcome sexual advance, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile work environment. This behavior is considered illegal if the conduct unreasonably interferes with a worker's job performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. It is also considered illegal if the sexual harassment constitutes a quid pro quo.

What are the major tactics used by unions and by management to assert their power in contract negotiations?

The major tactics used by unions include strikes, boycotts, work slowdowns, and pickets. Management tactics include lockouts, injunctions, and bringing in strikebreakers.

The _______ zone is the range of options each party will consider between the initial and final offers in a negotiation.

bargaining

As a result of the Industrial Revolution:

there were large gains in productivity workers were expected to be much more productive technology replaced some workers

Examples of quid pro quo sexual harassment include:

threatening to fire a subordinate who refuses to go out with you offering a pay raise to an employee in exchange for a date

A(n) ____ is an employee organization that represents its members in negotiations with management over wages and working conditions.

union

An employee organization whose main goal is to represent its members in negotiations over job-related issues is a(n):

union

Laws such as the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) of 1959 were passed when:

unions became very powerful and corrupt

How can companies effectively address workplace violence and bullying?

Companies can hold focus groups that invite employee input, hired managers with strong interpersonal skills, and employed skilled consultants to deal with any growing potential for workplace violence. They also can seek a temporary restraining order on behalf of workers experiencing threats or harassment. If it important to address any possible situation quickly and act proactively.

Unions negotiate to include a union security clause in contracts because:

all workers represented by the union receive the same benefits as paying union members it encourages workers to join unions as members it provides funds to support union activities such as negotiations and grievances

A union security clause is included in contracts because:

all workers who benefit from having a union should help pay for it

By 2040, the number of people who are over 65 is expected to:

almost double

The goals of most labor unions in the 1930s was the right to organize, in the 1970s to increase worker pay and benefits, in the 1980s union recognition and job security, today to reduce job loss from outsourcing. One can conclude that:

changes in the social and economic environment determine the goals of labor in a given period

Changes in public opinion have affected labor unions by:

prohibiting compulsive union membership the passing of laws to curb corruption in unions influencing passage of laws to curb the power of management

Some of the major goals of labor unions are to:

provide a unified voice for members improve working conditions for members represent its members in negotiations

When an employee's agreement to go on a date with her supervisor is a condition for keeping her job, it is:

quid pro quo sexual harassment

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature that is offensive is

sexual harassment

Examples of hostile environment sexual harassment include:

telling sexually explicit jokes at work after other workers object to them sending dirty jokes to coworkers using company email after requests not to do so

The act that requires companies to give equal pay to men and women doing the same job is:

the Equal Pay Act of 1963

The range of options each party will consider between the initial and final offers made in a negotiation is known as:

the bargaining zone

LO 12-2 Discuss the major legislation affecting labor unions.

Labor Legislation and Collective Bargaining •Labor unions' growth and influence has been very dependent on public opinion and law. •The Norris-LaGuardia Act helped unions by prohibiting the use of Yellow-Dog Contracts. •A type of contract that required employees to agree as a condition of employment NOT to join a union. •Collective bargaining — The process whereby union and management representatives form a labor-management agreement, or contract, for workers.