Chapter 15 HR Management

_____ are nonprofit organizations that provide worker advocacy, lobbying, legal advice, and training services.

Worker centers

A _____ is a formal association of workers that promotes the interests of its members through collective action.

union

In a typical employee grievance procedure, an employee discusses a grievance with a supervisor and a _____, who is a representative of the union on the job.

union steward

In the context of union representation in grievance procedures, Weingarten rights give:

unionized employees a right to have union representation during questioning by management if discipline may result.

Before the Norris-LaGuardia Act, employers sometimes asked employees to sign _____, which were pledges by workers not to join a labor union.

yellow dog contracts

In _____, a third party facilitates the dialogue between the labor union and the management negotiators of an organization to reach a voluntary settlement but makes no proposals for solutions.

conciliation

In the 1930s, company unions were formed by employers to:

keep legitimate unions from organizing employees.

Employees attempting to oust a union must obtain decertification authorization cards signed by at least _____ of the employees in the bargaining unit before an election may be held.

30 percent

In recent years, unions have declined to represent less than _____ of workers in the private sector in the United States.

8 percent

Which of the following is true of collective bargaining in unionization?

A collective bargaining agreement will typically be in force for several years.

Which of the following is true of resolving disputes between employers and employees?

A formal grievance procedure provides a valuable communication tool for organizations, whether a union is present or not.

In the context of collective bargaining issues, which of the following is NOT an example of a union security provision?

A profit-sharing program

_____ are established by companies for their employees and are usually built around protected status factors such as race, gender, or religion.

Affinity groups

In the context of a bargaining impasse between the labor and management of an organization, in which of the following does a neutral third party make a decision?

Arbitration

In the context of employee unions in the United States, which of the following statements is true about bargaining units?

Bargaining units are composed of all employees eligible to select a union to represent and bargain collectively for them.

In the context of employee unions, which of the following is NOT one of the four possible stages of the collective bargaining process involved in negotiating a contract?

Closed or open shop

In the context of the classification of bargaining issues, which of the following is NOT a mandatory issue?

Closed-shop provisions

Which of the following working conditions is least likely to increase workers' desire for unionization?

Constant voluntary overtime

In the context of employee unions, which of the following statements regarding decertification is NOT true?

Current regulations allow employers to initiate and support union decertification.

The _____ was passed in the 1930s, giving unions a legal right to exist.

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)

_____ is a process whereby a union is removed as the representative of a group of employees.

Decertification

Identify a working condition that is least likely to increase workers' desire for unionization.

Democratic leadership

Which of the following statements regarding National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings is NOT true?

Employees must hold campaigns for at least six weeks before union elections.

Which of the following is a basic provision of the Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act)?

Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations.

Which of the following statements regarding contingent workers and joint employer status is NOT true?

Even if a primary employer's workforce is unionized, contingent workers are not eligible to become union members.

Irene files a grievance about a pay discrimination issue. In the context of a typical grievance procedure, what should be the next step in resolving the grievance?

Irene should discuss the grievance with her manager and the union steward.

Which of the following has contributed to the decline of U.S. union membership?

Lack of individual support

The _____ was passed in 1959 to protect the democratic rights of union members.

Landrum-Griffin Act (Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act)

Which of the following group of workers is most likely to be successfully targeted by worker unions?

Low-skilled workers in industries noted for their heavy work

_____ are rights reserved so that an employer can manage, direct, and control its business.

Management rights

_____ are negotiation topics and collective bargaining issues identified specifically by labor laws or court decisions as subject to bargaining.

Mandatory issues

Which of the following is a challenge faced by unions in organizing white-collar workers?

Many white-collar workers tend to view unions as being oriented primarily toward blue-collar workers.

Which of the following statements regarding public-sector unionism is NOT true?

More than 30 states in the United States have laws prohibiting public workers from joining unions.

In the context of union-management relations, which of the following groups of employees would be part of the same bargaining unit?

Nurses and nursing assistants working at a hospital

Which of the following is the first step in a typical unionization process?

Organizing a campaign

_____ are collective bargaining issues that are not required but might relate to certain jobs or practices.

Permissive issues

In the context of unfair labor practices, which of the following words is NOT represented by a letter of the acronym TIPS, which concisely represents the actions employers cannot engage in during a campaign?

Promote

Which of the following statements regarding union membership in the public and private sectors is true?

Public employees are more than five times more likely to be union members than employees in the private sector.

The _____ gave railroad employees "the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing."

Railway Labor Act of 1926

In the context of employee unions, which of the following is NOT an option when negotiations reach an impasse in the collective bargaining process?

Ratification

_____ is a process by which union members vote to accept the terms of a negotiated labor agreement.

Ratification

_____ prohibit requiring employees to join unions as a condition of obtaining or continuing employment.

Right-to-work laws

__________ is a practice in which unions hire and pay people to apply for jobs at certain companies to begin organizing efforts.

Salting

Which of the following describes a situation in which an employer and union bargaining representatives are NOT negotiating in good faith?

Sending representatives who have no authority to make a decision

Passed to offset pro-union legislation, a primary feature of the _____ was the identification of unfair labor practices that might be committed by unions.

Taft-Hartley Act (Labor Management Relations Act)

Section 14(b) of the _____ allows states to pass laws that restrict compulsory union membership.

Taft-Hartley Act (Labor Management Relations Act)

Which of the following statements regarding national emergency strikes is NOT true?

The Landrum Griffin Act allows the president of the United States to declare that a strike constitutes a national emergency.

Which of the following statements is true of grievance arbitration?

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that grievance arbitration decisions issued under labor contract provisions are enforceable and generally may not be overturned by the courts.

Which of the following is NOT a key to federal court decisions allowing employee-involvement committees?

The committees should only involve employees from the most dominant affinity gro

Which of the following statements regarding union authorization cards is NOT true?

The fact that an employee signs an authorization card necessarily means that the employee is in favor of a union.

Which of the following statements regarding a grievance procedure is NOT accurate?

The goal of a grievance procedure is to precisely follow all steps in the formal procedure process before coming to a resolution.

Which of the following issues has become a flashpoint between lawmakers and labor representatives in recent years?

The high cost of retirement plans

DeShawn files a grievance against unfair promotion policies in his company's grievance center. Following the filing of the grievance, a discussion is held between him, his manager, and the union steward. In the context of a typical grievance procedure, which of the following should be the next step in resolving the grievance?

The union steward should discuss the grievance with the company's HR manager.

Which of the following is true of the current trends in union-management negotiations?

There has been an interest in cooperative arrangements between labor organizers and companies.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of labor unions?

They decrease the profitability of an organization.

Which of the following statements regarding labor unions is NOT true?

Unionization leads to worse job performance.

Which of the following statements regarding industrial changes and union membership is true?

Unions have had difficulty making inroads with the growing number of workers in service-related jobs.

In the context of disputes in organizations, which of the following statements accurately highlights a difference between a complaint and a grievance?

Unlike a complaint, a grievance is formally stated in writing.

In the context of the classification of bargaining issues, which of the following is NOT a mandatory issue?

Use of union labels

The _____ prohibits employer-dominated labor organizations.

Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act)

The enforcement of the provisions of the pro-union _____ was assigned to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act)

Durbin Inc. decides to shut down operations during heated negotiations with a labor union over fear that disgruntled workers will sabotage company facilities or harm employees who continue to work. This is an example of:

a lockout.

In 1936, _____ and their employees were added to those covered by the Railway Labor Act (RLA) of 1926.

airlines

Under the Landrum-Griffin Act, unions are required to do all of the following EXCEPT:

allow union members to hold a referendum to deauthorize the unions.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has five members, who are:

appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

To remain union free, companies must be proactive and do all of the following EXCEPT:

discourage employee feedback.

A common union security provision is a(n) _____, which provides for the automatic deduction of union dues from the payroll checks of union members, thus enabling employers to transfer dues to unions through one comprehensive payment.

dues checkoff clause

Geographic changes affecting union membership in the United States include all of the following EXCEPT:

government-provided tax incentives and a right-to-organize labor climate in the South.

If an employee who is represented by a union believes that the company has taken an action contrary to the collective bargaining agreement, and submits it in writing, then that complaint becomes a _____.

grievance

In the context of bargaining issues, negotiating for union members to be given preference when hiring is an example of a(n):

illegal issue.

Unions may be established in a(n) _____ of a company, representing only one department or job category within the company.

microunit

A _____ restricts employees and outsiders from distributing literature promoting union membership on company premises.

no-solicitation policy

In the 1950s, unions grew to represent over _____ of workers in the United States.

one-third

If an election is held for a bargaining unit of 200 employees and only 100 people vote, then:

only 51 people need to vote yes for the union to be named as the representative of all 200 people.

An election to determine if a union will represent employees is supervised by _____ for private-sector organizations.

the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)