Chapter 12

injunction

A court order directing someone to do something or to refrain from doing something

lockout

An attempt by management to put pressure on unions by temporarily closing the business

American Federation of Labor

An organization of craft unions that championed fundamental labor issues; founded in 1886.

agency shop agreement

Clause in a labor-management agreement that says employers may hire nonunion workers; employees are not required to join the union but must pay a union fee.

industrial union

Consisted of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in mass-production industries such as automobile manufacturing and mining

grievance

a charge by employees that management is not abiding by the terms of the negotiated labor-management agreement

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

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

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

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

union

an employee organization whose main goal is representing its members in employee-management negotiation of job-related issues

union shop agreement

clause in a labor-management agreement that 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

closed shop agreement

clause in a labor-management agreement that specified workers had to be members of a union before being hired (was outlawed by the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947)

givebacks

concessions made by union members to management; gains from labor negotiations are given back to management to help employers remain competitive and thereby save jobs

certification

formal process whereby a union is recognized by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the bargaining agent for a group of employees

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

arbitration

the agreement to bring in an impartial third party to render a binding decision in a labor dispute

Knights of Labor

the first true national labor union

decertification

the process by which workers take away a union's right to represent them

collective bargaining

the process whereby union and management representatives form a labor-management agreement, or contract, for workers

bargaining zone

the range of options between the initial and final offer that each party will consider before negotiations dissolve or reach an impasse

mediation

the use of a third party, called a mediator, who encourages both sides in a dispute to continue negotiating and often makes suggestions for resolving the dispute

shop stewards

union officials who work permanently in an organization and represent employee interests on a daily basis

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

union organization of unskilled workers; founded 1935

sexual harassment

unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile work environment

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

cooling-off period

when workers in a critical industry return to their jobs while the union and management continue negotiations

strikebreakers

workers hired to do the jobs of striking workers until the labor dispute is resolved

craft union

an organization of skilled specialists in a particular craft or trade

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

yellow-dog contract

required employees to agree, as a condition of employment, not to join a union