Business lesson 11

The union contract between your union and a local grocery chain will expire next month. You have heard rumors that management will seek concessions once you sit down to negotiate a new contract. In response, you consider options that will help you gain the upper hand once contract negotiations begin. Which option can you NOT use?

Announcing a lockout and telling workers they should not report to work.

The union you represent has been on strike for the past three months. Every time you meet with company representatives to resume negotiations, the two sides seem to get further apart. In an effort to get your union members back to work you consider a few options. Choose the option that will insure that a new labor-management agreement is reached.

Ask the company to agree to binding arbitration

You just completed a campaign at your factory to organize a union. After speaking with all of the factory line workers, you were able to secure authorization cards from 25% of them. What is the next step?

Continue organizing your campaign to increase the percentage of signed authorization cards.

You have been appointed the chief negotiator for a local Teamsters union seeking a new contract. As a first step, you must prepare for negotiations. To begin preparations, you should:

poll your union members to determine the issues most important to them.

When negotiating a new contract, the local teachers' union made several requests of the school board (their employer). These requests align with some of the basic objectives of unionization. Identify these objectives by using the drop-down list. a. Drop average number of students per classroom from 30 to 26. Improved work rules and working conditions b. Lower out-of-pocket cost of health care premiums by $100 per month. Higher compensation c. Increase salary scale by 3% to account for cost-of-living increases. Higher compensation d. Prohibit the school board from hiring non-union teachers. Power through solidarity e. Redefine the process for teacher layoffs to ensure due process for teachers with seniority.

a- improved work rules and working conditions b- higher compensation c- higher compensation d- power through solidarity e- increased job security

You work for a company where working conditions are poor. Your work area lacks good ventilation, and managers often stand over their workers and bark orders at them. In response, you decide to form a union. After researching the unionization process on the Internet, you determine that the first step will be:

talk to other employees to determine if they feel the same way that you do.

Today is your first day of work at a production facility. There is a union at the company that bargains on behalf of workers in your type of job. Your state is a "right to work" state. While on your first break of the day, you are approached by a union representative who informs you that all employees are required by federal law to join the union. He then hands you a union signup card. You have never been a member of a union before and don't want to join the union for a variety of personal reasons, so you aren't sure what to do. Which of the following options is the best decision for you?

Don't join the union

Which of the following factors contributed to the rise of unionization in the late 1800's? Select all that apply.

Lack of job protections dangerous and unhealthy working conditions

A union for hourly production workers was recently formed at your company. The union representative gave you a list of demands. They include: -Overtime pay for working on a national holiday -Overtime pay for working on one's birthday -A minimum pay rate -Overtime pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week What demands would not need to be negotiated because the Fair Labor Standards Act already guarantees them?

Overtime pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week A minimum pay rate

You just concluded a meeting with the union representative of the facility you manage. The union contract governing your employees expires tomorrow. During the meeting, the union representative threatened to take action tomorrow if there is no contract agreement in place. Identify the actions that are unfair labor practices (select all that apply):

Threaten management employees if they do not support the union's position. Triple the union dues of any union member who crosses the picket line. Barricade the front entrance of your office facility to prevent non-union staff from entering the building.

The company you work for has traditionally been known for cooperative labor-management relations. Recently your company purchased a facility from a competitor in a "right to work" state. The labor-management relations at that facility were confrontational. Every year the facility experienced a strike before a new contract could be agreed upon. Top management has asked you to oversee that facility and improve labor relations there. After careful consideration, you decide to (select all that apply):

Meet directly with facility employees to learn about their needs. Hold a meeting of all department heads and senior union members to discuss the high cost of strikes to both sides Offer to begin union negotiations earlier than in the past so that there is more time to find compromises.

You recently received a report that a union may try to organize in one of your facilities. In order to fend off the unionization effort before it begins, you brainstorm a number of steps that you can take to address the threat. Based upon your knowledge of why union membership has been declining in the past several decades, you conclude that the best options are (select all that apply).

Open up lines of communication to better understand the needs of your employees. Take immediate action to improve working conditions that may be lagging industry standards.

As union president, you are entering your first labor contract negotiation. Select each of the steps of the collective bargaining process into the correct sequence, so you can properly prepare for the negotiation.

Step 1- prioritize issues Step 2- pick a time and place where the parties will meet to discuss issues Step 3- Negotiate issues Step 4- submit agreement to union for a vote

The union that represents workers at the facility you own has threatened to strike now that the current labor contract has expired. Union demands include a 15% wage increase. You feel this is excessive and are willing to offer an 8% increase. You consider options to put pressure on the union to agree to a new contract. You decide the best approach is to apply economic pressure on union membership to arrive at a settlement. What option will put economic pressure on union members?

Threaten to move the factory to a "right to work" state if agreement is not reached in 2 weeks.