BA 303
Today private sector union density is around
10%
At present, the gap between those employees who say they want unions and those that have union representation in the private sector at their workplace is about?
30%
In the early 1900s, the richest 1 percent of households in America controlled the greatest concentration of wealth in U.S. history at
45%
A workplace that is open only to workers who belong to the union is known as
A closed shop
Democracy is often the most efficient means by which to make decisions
A country cannot truly value the concept of democracy without supporting democratic principles in the workplace
A union contract is?
A legally binding document that describes the terms of employment (e.g., wage hours, working conditions)
According to the human resources school of thought, labor unions are:
A sign of unhealthy HR practices and problematic because they promote adversarial management-labor relationships
In the years immediately following WWII, labor relations in the United States were characterized by:
A two-year period of industrial conflict which was manifested in a great number of strikes
From a societal standpoint, the weekend position of unions in the U.S. is potentially problematic for all the following reasons except?
A weakened labor moverment is less able to provide management with the flexibility is needs to succeed in today's demanding competitive environment
The Industrial Workers of the World was born in part out of frustration over the:
AFL's willingness to settle for small, day to day gains, in light of the oppressive work practices of the ownership class
According to the human resources school of thought, the solution to the labor problem is better management that emphasizes:
Alignment of the interests of workers and their employers
he American Federation of Labor believed that allowing skilled craftsmen to establish and enforce their own work rules and work standards would:
All of the above
The conditions associated with the "labor problem" were made possible in part due to a prevailing management attitude that labor was
An interchangeable and expendable factor of production
For the Knights of Labor, the central conflict that needed to be won was between
Anyone considered a "producer" (i.e., farmers, shopkeepers, and employers) and those controlled money (i.e., bankers, stockbrokers, lawyers)
The crucial feature of collective bargaining is that management's traditional authority to unilaterally establish terms and conditions of employment is replace by _________ negotiations
Bilateral
The Great Uprising of 1877 was primarily a conflict between
Capital owners and workers in many industries and locations
A central goal of the American Federation of Labor was to ensure that workplaces were
Closed to anyone who did not belong to the union
The major strategy of the unions of the American Federation of Labor focused on
Collective bargaining and the threat of strikes
Traditional adversarial bargaining relationships between employers and employees has made meeting employers' increasing need for _______________ more difficult
Cooperation and employee involvement
In the Knights of Labor's vision for the future, businesses would be owned by
Cooperatives made up of the producers of the goods and services they produced. These would include both workers and their employers
In the 1950s, the labor movement was generally portrayed as:
Corrupt institutions that took advantage of the working class
The first U.S. labor unions were organized by
Craft lines, with a focus on local employment issues
Which of the following was formed first?
Craft unions
The CIO formed as a result of:
Differences with the AFL over unionization by industry, rather than by craft
Which of the following was not a primary function of the American Federation of Labor?
Direct negotiator with employers over wages, hours and working conditions
In the critical industrial relations school, the primary aim of labor unions should be to?
Do nothing; there is no useful role for unions in the critical industrial relations school
To achieve gains for its members, the Knights of Labor focused primarily on
Education and reforming capitalism
An employer creates a safety team of 6 employees who are asked to recommend changes to the workplace that will reduce accident rates. The team recommends eliminating a job rotation program that allows the employer to move employees in and out of various jobs on an as-needed basis. They argue that job rotation both increases employee stress and reduces the amount of experience that employees have with the various safety procedures associate with a particular job. This scenario describes a conflict between which two objectives of the employment relationship?
Efficiency and Voice
Which of the following characterizes the current business environment as compared to that at the time the National Labor Relations Act was passed?
Emphasis on the importance and need for knowledgeable workers
The biggest criticism of welfare unionism was:
Employers tried to provide industrial democracy through the use of company unions
Which of the following can at least partially explain the decline in union density rates in the United State since the 1960s?
Employment in traditionally unionized industries such as manufacturing had decreased
According to the industrial relations school, the role of the government and legislation should be to?
Ensure that labor and management's relative power is balanced
When an employer allows supervisors to arbitrarily discipline employees without cause, it is most directly violating which objective of the employment relationship?
Equity
According to the mainstream economics school of thought, employees exercise voice in the employment relationship by?
Exiting and entering into employment arrangements
Workplace governance under the industrial relations model should include?
Government intervention in the form of laws and rules that protect worker rights to bargain collectively and establish labor standards
Which of the following outcomes cannot generally be attributed to unions?
Greater flexibility in work rules
In the 1920s many employers who followed the human resources school of thought believed that nonunion representation plans were?
Helpful in promotion mutual respect, cooperation and loyalty
Which of the four schools of thought believes that workers and employers have common interests that can be aligned for the benefit of all?
Human Resource Management
According to the human resource management school, equity will be achieved only:
If employers become responsive to employee needs
Business pressures for competitiveness and quality have affected the collective bargaining process in all of the following ways except
Increased the need for more specific, detailed contracts
Which of the following best summarizes the trends in U.S. union density since the 1980s?
Increases in the public sector and decreases in the private sector
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights issued by the United Nations, it is considered a basic human right for
Individuals to have the right to form and join trade unions for their own protection and the protection of other
Taken as a whole, U.S. labor laws is most closely aligned with which one of the four schools of thought on the labor problem?
Industrial Relations
The saying "the union makes us strong" best describes which school of thought?
Industrial Relations
Which of the four schools of thought believes that workers and employers have multiple, competing interests that center primarily around the division of profits between them?
Industrial Relations
Which of the following is not true about the decline in demand for unions in the U.S.?
It can be largely attributed to the fact that individuals who experience union representation are unhappy with in and decide they do not want it
The significance of the Industrial Workers of the World was?
It was willing use violence and radical measures to gain rights for workers
The significance of the Haymarket Square Riot, starting with the battle between strikers and their replacements at McCormick Reaper Works was:
It weakened the Knights of Labor even though the union had encourage workers not to strike
An important activity of the AFL unions was establishing and maintaining
Job standards through work rules
During the mid-1880's, which national labor union was at its peak in terms of power?
Knights of Labor
Which labor union believed that while work was necessary to provide for both personal and psychological needs of individuals, it was also key to serving God?
Knights of Labor
Which of the following unions is typically considered to be an uplift union?
Knights of Labor
According to the critical industrial school, wealth and capital in society are created through?
Laws that govern market transactions and social norms that dictate what buyers and sellers are allowed to do in the exchange of goods and services
Union contracts are?
Legally enforceable for both employees and employers
Which of the four schools of thought is the only one that conforms to the belief that workers and employers are equals in the labor market?
Mainstream economics
Which of the four schools of thought views work as "unpleasant" and lacking in rewards other than making enough money to purchase the goods and services on desire?
Mainstream economics
Welfare capitalism is characterized by
Management systems that emphasize orderly hiring and firing procedures, wage incentives, protective insurance, positive work culture, and employee voice
The shock effect refers to the tendency for?
Managers in unionized firms to become better managers in response to unionization
According to the mainstream economics view, unions are?
Monopolies that interfere with economic efficiency
In the mainstream school of thought, unions are:
Monopolies that restrict market competition
In the mainstream economics school of thought, labor unions are
Monopolies that try to restrict the supply of labor and benefit only a few at the expense of other
Workplace governance under the mainstream economics model should include?
No government involvement
In a perfectly competitive labor market...
No one can be made better off without making someone else worse off
According to the critical industrial relations school, balancing power between labor and management is?
Not possible within a capitalistic system because management domination is built into the very political, legal, and economic structure of society
A typical newspaper company in the early part of the 20th century might employ both printers and "newsies" (young men and boys who sold the papers). Which of the following best illustrates the AFL's concept of exclusive jurisdiction?
One union should represent the printers and only the printers while another union should represent the newsies (and only the newsies)
In the mainstream economic perspective, the role of the government is to?
Pass laws that promote competition
According to the human resources school of thought, the labor problem stems from:
Poor Management
Conflicts between employers and employees can best be described as conflicts between
Property rights and individual rights
In the mainstream economics perspective, the role of the law is to?
Protect individual freedoms that are necessary for competition (e.g., property rights)
Aside from their role in workplace governance, unions are important to the effective functioning of a democratic society because they
Provide a counter to excessive political power of employers and employer associations
Today the strongest segment of unionization is
Public sector workers
The National War Labor Board, Created during WWI & WWII, was intended to?
Resolve labor disputes that arose during the wars
In the earliest years of our country's formation, work was characterized as
Self-employed farmers, shopkeepers and craftsman
The first permanent union in the U.S. is attributed to the:
Shoemakers' Industry
In the United States, younger workers are?
Significantly less likely to being to a union than older workers
The American Federation of Labor focused its organizing efforts on:
Skilled Craft Workers
According to the critical industrial relations perspective, the answer to "the labor problem" is:
Social unrest and agitation that will lead to worker control
According to the industrial relations school, the best method to increase bargaining power of workers in their relationships with management is to?
Support the formation of individual labor unions and collective bargaining
A key difference between the AFL and the CIO in their early years was:
The CIO relied more heavily on aggressive tactics such as sit-down strikes
A significant change in American societal beliefs regarding the role of big business in ensuring prosperity for all occurred following:
The Great Depression
Which of the following unions is most accurately described as a revolutionary
The Industrial Workers of the World
Which union's philosophy is rooted in critical industrial relations school of thought:
The Industrial Workers of the World
The American Federation of Labor arose out of frustration with
The Knights of Labor's failure to address everyday working issues
Which of the following statements is most accurate?
The effects of unionization on productivity are mixed; sometimes it results in an increase and sometimes it results in a decrease
A group of employees decide to walk off the job together to protest unsafe working conditions. Which of the following is true?
The employees' actions are legal because they are acting together to influence their working conditions
Before the early 1900s, the prevailing opinion regarding the employment relationship was that
The government should never interfere with the ability of an individual to freely enter into an economic relationship with another individual
Which of the following is not typically considered characteristic of the "labor problem" in the early 1900s?
The high cost of health care and health insurance
Referring to management, the saying "You get the union you deserve" best fits?
The human resources perspective
The industrial relations school of thought rests on the assumption that labor market outcomes are determined by?
The relative bargaining strength of parties to the employment relationship
The rise in unionization after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act was largely due to:
The rise in industrial unionism
The key distinguishing feature of the critical industrial relations school of thought is that?
There is an inherent conflict of interest between labor and management that extends to the very social order of society whereby some classes of individuals are better off than others
Most countries base their industrial relations system on the perspective that
There should be balance between worker and employer rights
Which of the following is not a reason that attempts to unionize the steel industry in the early 1900s
There was little union interest in organizing steelworkers
Labor unions are considered the quintessential form of independent employee representation because?
They are independent of managerial authority
Compared to other countries, the system of labor relations in the U.S. is?
Tightly regulated
From a societal standpoint, the main purpose of a labor relations system is?
To ensure public safety, promote worker voice in politics, and reduce income inequalities that create a tax burden
Which of the following is not true with respect to the impact of unions on terms and conditions of employment?
Unionized workers are more satisfied, on average, than non unionized workers
When an employer adopts an employee participation program, such as a workplace safety committee, it is most directly addressing which objective of the employment relationship?
Voice
Which of the following is sometimes argued to be the beginning of today's strategic human resource management and high performance workplaces?
Welfare Capitalism
Which of the following is not considered an argument for treating employees as "more" than simply another commodity that can be bought and sold in the labor market?
When workers agree to supply their labor in exchange for pay and benefits, they are freely choosing to follow management's directives
The Homestead strike in 1892 and the Pullman strike in 1894 were representative of the clash between employers and the AFL over who had the right to establish:
Work standards and production decisions
Which of the following methods to establish workplace is suggested by the critical industrial relations perspective?
Worker control of organization
Which of the following appears to be true about management and worker views on employee voice?
Workers express a preference for representation int eh workplace that is independent of management
From a business perspective, the poor working conditions endured by workers in the early part of U.S. industrialization were most problematic because?
Workers lacked purchasing power which kept product demand artificially low
According to the mainstream economics school of thought, market competition results in wages equal to
Workers' marginal productivity (i.e., the value of their work)
Revolutionary unionism tries to create ______ solidarity rather than solidarity by occupation or industry
Working class
Union density in the United States is currently estimated at?
less than 15 percent
