HRM CH 14

Which of the following are the major functions of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)?

to manage and verify representation elections of unions to stop labor practices that are unfair

Why are employers actively resisting unionization?

to maintain flexibility to control costs

True or false: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) does not commence actions when unfair labor practices occur, but instead responds to formal requests for action.

true

Since the 1960s, government regulations have ______.

resulted in fewer areas where unions can provide worker rights beyond those specified by law

When applicants can obtain employment prior to being a union member, but are required to join the union within a certain amount of time, this is known as a(n) ______,

union shop

One benefit of union membership that employers cannot provide employees is a(n) ______.

voice that is independent

True or false: Most of the day-to-day interaction between labor and management happens at the local union level.

True

Labor-management contracts vary from each other in their ______.

bargaining structure

Unions have traditionally _____.

been strongest in urban areas

When considering union membership, people question if there is a gap between actual compensation and what they ______.

believe they should receive

Studies show that structural changes in the economy have ______.

caused no more than one-fourth of the decrease in union membership

Union activities that intend to exert public, financial or political pressure on employers during the union-organizing process are known as ____ campaigns.

corporate

Which of the following are factors related to unions themselves that contributed to a decline in union membership?

corruption inability to adjust to structural economic shifts

Which of the following are objectives for reducing the antagonism in relations between labor and management?

decreasing work rules and increasing management flexibility increasing worker commitment, motivation, and problem solving

Which part of the United States is less heavily organized than the rest?

South

A form of union membership by which the union receives dues in exchange for services but does not provide representation in collective bargaining is referred to as a(n)______ union membership.

associate

Which of the following types of union security provisions is illegal under the original terms of the NLRA?

closed shop

Taking action on behalf of a group in order to address working conditions is an example of ______, regardless of whether employees are represented by a union or not.

concerted activity

Labor unions were designed to _____.

equalize the bargaining power of workers and management

The most common unfair labor practice grievance relates to ______.

failure to bargain

Unfair labor practices by employers are identified and spelled out in which section of the NLRA?

section 8

Public sector workers have ______.

seen substantial union growth among white-collar workers

An important element in the relative power of employers and unions during collective bargaining is the ability of each party to withstand a(n) .

strike

When negotiating a first contract, unions are unable to accomplish this task in ______% of cases.

27-37%

Which of the following statements describe the situation with public-sector unions?

Local employees strike more than federal employees. Federal employee strikes are illegal. Teachers have two of the largest unions in the nation.

How do workers feel that union representatives compare to representatives of employees covered by nonunion programs?

Union and nonunion programs represent workers nearly the same.

Which of the following statements about union membership in the United States since the 1950s is true?

Union membership has gradually decreased as a percentage of employment.

In his book Industrial Relations Systems, author John Dunlop identified four elements of a successful industrial relations system, including which of the following?

shared rules of the game, a common ideology

Which of the following employee rights were protected in Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)?

the right to join a labor union the right to bargain collectively

True or false: The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), when passed in 1935, did not spell out any unfair labor practices by labor unions.

true

If a company has a number of different production facilities, how able would the company be to deal with a workers' strike?

very able

Which of the following are recommendations made by Fossum for management preparing for negotiation with a union?

Agree upon goals to work toward in the negotiation. Understand how much saying "yes" to union demands may cost the company. Be ready for a strike.

Generally, when management deals with employees, they ______.

As individuals

Which of the following are among the principles suggested by Fisher and Ury in their book Getting to Yes?

Establish that the outcome of the negotiations process should be grounded on an objective benchmark. Differentiate between the problem and the people involved. Brainstorm numerous possibilities before deciding what course to take.

As required by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the duty of ______ representation is a requirement for all members of a bargaining unit to have equal access to and representation by the union.

Fair

What were the results when foreign automakers began to present a competitive threat to U.S. companies?

U.S. automakers lost market share. U.S. autoworker employment was reduced.

In 2016 most of the strikes in the United States involved ______.

White collar workers

One aspect of union security, known as a(n) ______, requires an employer to deduct union dues from employees' paychecks.

checkoff provision

Employees are required to be union members before they are hired by an employer in a(n) ______.

closed shop

Which of the following are outcomes that are pursued by labor unions in labor relations?

determining work rules increasing compensation

One major goal of a labor union in negotiations is bargaining effectiveness, which provides the union the power and influence to accomplish which of the following?

effect changes in the workplace make the voices of the employees heard

Fossum recommends that in preparing for a negotiation that management prepare for a potential strike. Which of the following are actions management might consider when completing this planning?

ensuring facilities' security lining up replacement workers

A person who reports on the reasons for the labor-management dispute and the views and arguments of both sides and offers a nonbinding recommendation for settling the dispute is called a(n) ______.

fact finder

True or false: The United States has a higher percentage of employees who are unionized than any other country.

false

Which of the following are reasons management might discourage unionization of its workforce?

fear of being forced to increase employee compensation profit loss if workers strike

Which of the following are outcomes that are pursued by management in labor relations?

increase productivity of workers control costs

The part of the labor-management negotiation process that seeks solutions beneficial to both sides is referred to as ______, bargaining

integrative

Unions have a(n) ______ effect on company profits.

largely negative

A procedure for resolving collective bargaining impasses in which a person with no formal authority acts as a facilitator and go-between in negotiations is referred to as

mediation

Western European countries have ______.

more government regulation and higher union membership rates than the United States

When negotiating contracts, Fisher and Ury suggest separating the ______ from the problem.

p

Of the following, which are basic strategies used by management to avoid unionization?

pay employees equitably actively oppose unionization of workforce

Which of the following are examples of union unfair labor practices as defined by the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act?

picketing in a way that prevents nonstriking workers from entering company premises threatening employees with physical violence to coerce them to join the union

A union initiates a corporate campaign to raise the wages for miners in the United States. What types of pressure can this exert on mine owners and operators?

political public financial

Which of the following are programs that seek to decrease the adversarial relationship between labor and management?

profit sharing with employees labor-management problem solving teams self-managed employee teams

A fact finder, a person who reports reasons for labor-management disputes and offers ideas for resolution, is most frequently used in disputes that occur in the _____.

public sector

Which of the following is an important component of bargaining power for a union?

the ability to strike

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) represents labor interests at the ______ level.

National

"Concerted activity" is protected by the ______.

National Labor Relations Act

What legislation, passed in 1935, ensured that collective bargaining would be the favored method to resolve conflict between managers and workers?

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)

How do unions directly and indirectly affect company profits?

The research and development budget is lower when there are unions. Strikes can decease profits for suppliers of the struck companies. Firms become more competitive when unions are weakened.

Labor unions' greatest positive contribution to society is _____.

institutionalizing industrial conflict resolution

How does increasing foreign competition influence unions?

It increases employer resistance to unions.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) holds a union representation election when at least ______% of employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards?

30

A survey showed that about ______ of nonunion workers were covered in a management controlled representation system.

33%

Which of the following statements regarding agency shops is accurate?

Employees of the firm may choose never to become members of the union.

What are the two questions that are asked when people decide to join a union?

Is there a mismatch between employment circumstances and expectations? Is union membership the most effective means of change?

What are the three ways unions decrease productivity?

Strikes and slowdowns cause lost production. The contract with the union limits the amount and type of work an employee can do.

Which of the following may occur when more than 50 percent of employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards?

The union may request that the employer voluntarily recognizes it.

How do unions increase productivity?

They allow workers a greater voice to give suggestions to management.

Which of the following would be a likely reason employees might opt for associate union membership?

They wish to join a union but their workplace is not organized by a union.

The majority of union members belong to a ______ or international union.

national

One way companies utilize human resources management to avoid unionization is to _____.

provide the same benefits a union would provide

Which of the following union organizations has the greatest number of members?

National Education Association

Although not technically a union, the ______ is an association that works to further the common goals of its member unions at the national level.

AFL-CIO

Data on strikes confirm which of the following statements?

Strikes are more common among white-collar personnel. Strikes tend to be an exception to normal circumstances. Scant labor hours are lost to strikes in the overall picture.

Which of the following statements are true about local unions?

The local of a craft-oriented union may cover a region. The administration of the union contract is carried out largely at the local union level. The local of an industrial-based union may correspond to a single large facility.

An employee must pay union membership dues but is not required to join the union in a(n) ______.

agency shop

Over half of all charges against employers in unfair labor practice cases involving unions concerns a refusal to ______.

bargain

Which of the following are unfair employer labor practices identified in the NLRA?

discriminating against workers who are union members refusing to bargain collectively with certain unions impeding the creation of a labor union

The part of the labor-management negotiation process that focuses on dividing a fixed economic "pie" is referred to as ______.

distributive bargaining

Compared to nonunion workers, union members tend to ______.

earn higher wages

Why do unions negotiate checkoff provisions with employers?

to maintain the security and survival of the union

Dunlop suggested that in an industrial relations system, conflict between ______ is unavoidable.

workers and managers