CH06 - Union Organizing

is a strike launched by employees to coerce an employer to acknowledge their union.

recognition strike

The National Labor Relations Board requires a minimum of _____ employee support to establish sufficient interest for conducting a representation election.

30 percent

Identify the significant aspects of a supervisor's role in relation to the statutory definition provided by the National Labor Relations Act. (Check all that apply.)

A supervisor has the authority to hire, assign, transfer, promote, discipline, and discharge employees. A supervisor acts in the interest of his or her employer. A supervisor is expected to responsibly direct employees.

Which of the following are the likely initiators of a union organizing drive? (Check all that apply.)

An employer One or more employees A union

Which of the following are considered unacceptable employer campaigning efforts? (Check all that apply.)

A visit to an worker's home by a representative of the employer to request his or her support An exchange between a supervisor and an employee wherein the employee's views of unionization are discussed

Identify the significance of delay as an employer tactic during campaigns for National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections. (Check all that apply.)

Employee turnover may lead to a decrease in the number of union supporters. It gives the employer more time to campaign against the union.

In the context of the union organizing process, which of the following are involved in the determination of the appropriate bargaining units by the National Labor Relations Board? (Check all that apply.)

Excluding managerial employees Grouping employees who share a community of interest

The first step in the union organizing process is _____.

Initiation

A loose interpretation

Many workers could be seen as supervisors.

Identify a true statement about certification elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Most certification elections have a single union on the ballot.

Which of the following is true of the representation election rules implemented by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2015 to make the election process more efficient?

The new rules allow the postponing of hearings on some issues until after elections.

Why was the union certification process established by the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 initially a great success? (Check all that apply.)

Workers could petition the National Labor Relations Board for a democratic determination of whether a majority of workers favored unionizing. Firing union supporters was deemed illegal.

Opportunistic campaign

This involves efforts of a union to increase its membership by organizing dissatisfied workers who are "'ripe" for unionization but who lack a strategic fit with the existing membership.

Strategic campaign

This involves efforts to organize a particular workplace in order to improve a union's ability to efficiently represent existing employees.

The frustration model

This model is based on the assumption that only dissatisfied employees or those upset about perceived workplace injustice will think about unionizing.

The utility maximization model

This model suggests that rational employees will consider unionization if it improves their well-being and if its benefits are far greater than its costs.

Which of the following actions are likely to be considered violations of the National Labor Relation Board's laboratory conditions standard? (Check all that apply.)

Threatening to suspend operations if a union wins an election Increasing wages before an election

In the context of the union organizing process, rank the steps involved in the voluntary recognition of a labor union.

Union Neutral Employer

Which of the following is true of the campaign measures of labor unions?

Unions are allowed to contact employees or visit them at home.

Instead of workplace access, once a representation election is scheduled, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule requires employers to give the union a list of names, addresses, and available personal email addresses and phone numbers of the employees eligible to vote in the election. This is called a(n)

Blank 1: Excelsior Blank 2: list

When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) believes that a union had majority support but extreme employer misconduct has eroded this support and made an election pointless, the NLRB issues a(n) Blank 1 of 3 Blank 2 of 3 Blank 3 of 3 that requires the employer to recognize and bargain with the union even though the usual election results are lacking.

Blank 1: Gissel Blank 2: bargaining Blank 3: order

The group of occupations and locations relevant to the certification election is referred to as the

Blank 1: appropriate Blank 2: bargaining Blank 3: unit

is a group meeting held in the workplace during working hours in which employees are forced to listen to management's antiunion and pro-company presentations.

Blank 1: captive Blank 2: audience Blank 3: meeting

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) evaluates election conduct during union representation elections using its Blank 1 of 3 Blank 2 of 3 Blank 3 of 3, also known as the General Shoe doctrine.

Blank 1: laboratory Blank 2: conditions Blank 3: doctrine

The degree to which an individual thinks a union will be successful in improving the workplace is called

Blank 1: union Blank 2: instrumentality

In the context of the union organizing process, identify the step that immediately follows the initiation of an organizing drive.

Building support

In the context of representation elections, identify the clearest violations of the National Labor Relations Board's laboratory conditions doctrine. (Check all that apply.)

Discriminating against employees based on their union support Influencing or forcing employees Forming a company-dominated sham union

Identify a true statement about the use of employer restrictions as a campaign tactic against unions.

Discriminatory implementation of no solicitation rules is considered an interference with workers' right to form unions.

What is the fundamental legal standard for representation elections held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)?

Employee Free voice

Identify the important requirements for translating job dissatisfaction and utility maximization features into votes for unionization. (Check all that apply.)

Employees should not have unfavorable views about unions in general. The social environment of the workplace must be favorable to unionization. Employees should feel that the union will be helpful in improving things in the specific workplace.

Which of the following are the usual justifications for employer campaigning during National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections? (Check all that apply.)

Employers need to represent the antiunion employees and deliver their message. The employers' property rights provide them the right to take part in the union election process.

True or false: Demographic factors such as age and gender have a significant influence on individual voting decisions of U.S. workers.

F

True or false: Looser interpretations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) are supported by the labor movement as a way of strengthening employee rights to form labor unions.

F

A strict interpretation

Fewer workers would be excluded from the protections of the NLRA.

Which of the following is true of the significance of social aspects of the workplace to pro-union support?

High workplace solidarity and collective social identity among workers translate into pro-union support.

Identify the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's) view on the use of company e-mail systems for campaigning purposes by employees.

In 2014, the Obama-appointed NLRB ruled that employees are allowed to use company e-mail systems for non-business purposes during non-work time.

In the context of employer campaigning, which of the following actions of mangers are known by the acronym TIPS? (Check all that apply.)

Intimidating employees Threatening employees Spying on employees Making promises to employees

Identify a true statement about union instrumentality.

It is believed to be one of the most reliable predictors of union support.

Which of the following are the major aspects of the Employee Free Choice Act as introduced in Congress in March 2009? (Check all that apply.)

It proposes a provision for card check recognition that helps eliminate the election process to determine the representative of employees. It requires the National Labor Relations Board to seek injunctive relief in courts in specific cases of unfair labor practices. It seeks to strengthen the penalties for violating the National Labor Relations Act during organizing drives or first contract campaigns.

Which of the following are true of the organizing model of union representation? (Check all that apply.)

It requires the direct involvement of workers in solving their own problems. It considers unions as vehicles for the participation and the empowerment of workers.

In the context of the union organizing process, which of the following is true of building support for unionization?

It usually entails meeting interested employees outside the workplace and distributing information.

Which of the following are true of the servicing model of union representation? (Check all that apply.)

It views the union as a source of protection for employees. It considers unionism an "us versus them" adversarialism.

Which of these passive campaign tactics is most likely to be used in the servicing model of union representation?

Mailings and handbilling

Which of the following is true of the contemporary options available to employees when employers refuse their request for voluntary recognition?

They petition the National Labor Relations Board for an election to decide if the union has majority support.

Identify the true statements about decertification elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). (Check all that apply.)

Most decertification elections result in a workplace going from union to nonunion. A few decertification elections derecognize the existing union and certify a new union as the bargaining agent of employees.

Which of the following is true of the alternatives to voluntary recognition of unions in the present day?

Most questions about union recognition are resolved through National Labor Relations Board representation elections.

In the context of the criticisms of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) union certification process, identify the possibilities of reform to ensure equal access. (Check all that apply.)

Outlawing employer captive audience meetings Requiring a specific number of campaign debates

Which of the following is significant for deciding whether disgruntled employees would vote in favor of a union?

Perceptions about unions in general

Identify the campaign tactics used in the organizing model of union representation. (Check all that apply.)

Rallying to create collective identity One-on-one personal contact

Before conducting a certification election, the National Labor Relations Board should verify that the petition filed by a union or group of employees for the election is supported by a demonstration of _____ among the employees.

Sufficient Interest

True or false: Election delays are often favorable to employers because employees' views of union instrumentality may be weakened as the union appears helpless to resist the legal moves of employers.

T

True or false: The acronym FOE refers to employer campaigning efforts that involve presenting employees with facts, opinions, and personal experiences about unions.

T

True or false: When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) deems that election campaigning or other conduct causes employees to vote differently from their actual preferences, the election results will be discarded, and a new election will be held.

T

Which of the following is true of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requirements for conducting representation elections?

The NLRB does not allow more than one election in a 12-month period.

Identify the true statements about the requirements of the National Labor Relations Board to conduct a union recognition election. (Check all that apply.)

The NLRB must determine the occupations and geographical areas involved in a certification election. The NLRB does not authorize a decertification election when a valid collective bargaining agreement is in place.

Which of the following changes transformed the union certification process established by the National Labor Relations Act into a lengthy procedure? (Check all that apply.)

The Supreme Court and Section 8(c) of the Taft-Hartley Act explicitly permitted (noncoercive) employer participation in the certification process. The Supreme Court let employers to demand a secret ballot election, even if majority status confirmed by signed authorization cards is not in doubt.

Which of the following is true of the significance of collecting signed authorization cards?

The cards show employees' interest in unionization to union organizers, the employer, and if required, the National Labor Relations Board.

In the context of the union organizing process, identify the true statements about the conduct of representation elections held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). (Check all that apply.)

The elections are supervised by the NLRB officials. The elections usually take place at the worksite of employees

In the context of employer campaign tactics, which of the following is true of an employer's use of no solicitation rules?

The employer can use its private property rights to prevent third parties or groups from communicating with employees at the workplace.

According to the 2014 decision of the Obama-appointed National Labor Relations Board, what should an employer do to restrict its employees from using the company e-mail system for campaigning purposes? (Check all that apply.)

The employer should show that campaigning via the company e-mail system causes a substantial usage cost. The employer should prove that e-mail campaigning efforts affect production and workplace discipline.

Which of the following is true as per the statutory definition of supervisors stated in the National Labor Relations Act?

The exercise of the duties and authority of a supervisor requires the use of independent judgment.

Employer-initiated organizing drives

These drives are unlawful as they impede the free choice of employees.

Union-initiated organizing drives

These drives involve advertising, distributing information, and reaching out to employees to show the advantages of unionization.

Employee-initiated organizing drives

These drives may be an attempt by disgruntled workers to form a union by themselves or contact a union organizer who works for an existing union in their area, industry, or occupation.

Identify a true statement about the campaign tactics used in the organizing model of union representation.

These tactics focus on grassroots involvement.

Employers

They argue that the meetings are based on property and free speech rights.

Identify an argument raised by union supporters about employer campaigning during National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections.

They argue that union representation concerns only workers, and employers should not be given rights as formal participants in the process.

Unions

They criticize that the meetings give the opposite group an unfair benefit in communicating with, and probably coercing, the employees.

Identify the option generally availed by employees when employers declined their request for voluntary recognition of a union during the pre-National Labor Relations Act era.

They increased the pressure on employers to coerce them to change their stance.

Which of the following are advantages of union campaign tactics that replicate Saul Alinsky's "iron rule of organizing"? (Check all that apply.)

Volunteer rank-and-file organizers have better access and are better connected with their coworkers. Widespread use of rank-and-file organizers helps build strong local union organization.

Which of the following are advantages of union campaign tactics that replicate Saul Alinsky's "iron rule of organizing"? (Check all that apply.)

Widespread use of rank-and-file organizers helps build strong local union organization. Volunteer rank-and-file organizers have better access and are better connected with their coworkers.

is a preprinted form containing something like "I authorize [union name] to represent me for the purposes of collective bargaining" which employees fill out and sign.

authorization card

In the context of factors that influence individual voting decisions, perceptions of employees toward unions in general concerns _____.

broader images of unions

The recognition of a labor union based on authorization cards is called Blank 1 of 3 Blank 2 of 3 Blank 3 of 3 or a majority sign-up procedure.

card check recognition

The most important type of representation election is a _____, which decides whether a labor union will be verified as the bargaining agent of the employees.

certification election

is used by the National Labor Relations Board in a nonunion location to ascertain if a majority of employees want to become unionized—that is, to designate a specific union as their bargaining agent.

certification election

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issues a Gissel bargaining order when an employer _____.

commits multiple and severe unfair labor practices during the representation election process

A(n) Blank 1Blank 1 decentrification , Correct Unavailable Blank 2Blank 2 Election , Correct Unavailable is a type of election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board to determine whether a majority of unionized employees no longer wish to be represented by their union.

decentrification election

True or false: The Employee Free Choice Act as introduced in Congress in March 2009 proposes that a reelection would be conducted if the certified union and management are not able to agree on a first contract after certification.

f

A social context that leads to support for unionization is likely one in which there are _____.

leaders who can effectively frame grievances as collective injustices needing solidarity to redress

In the context of the issue of unequal access in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) union certification process, one of the possible reforms to ensure equal opportunity for unions is to _____.

provide unions the right to hold captive audience meetings

Elections that answer questions of whom the employees want to represent them are known as

representation elections

In the context of employer campaigning, captive audience meetings are appropriate if _____.

they comprise facts, opinions, or experiences

The employer's free speech provision in the National Labor Relations Act does not allow threats and promises because _____.

they obstruct employee free choice