Chapter 11 Work with Labor Unions Section One True/False Questions 1. Trade unions were developed in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. 2. The National Labor Union can be credited with the implementation of the eighthour workday. 3. In the 1930s, the Knights of Labor was formed as a result of political differences in the American Federation of Labor. 4. A union steward is one who represents the interests of union members. 5. Limiting the collective bargaining rights of state workers in order to avert a budget crisis is called union salting. 6. The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 is also known as the anti-injunction bill. 7. Strikes which were not authorized by the union were called sympathy strikes. Multiple Choice Questions 8. A labor union is defined as: a. the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society. b. a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body. c. a congregation of legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time. d. a collection of workers banding together to meet common goals, such as better pay, benefits, or promotion rules. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 1
e. a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations, or groups. 9. Which of the following is true about the Knights of Labor? a. The Knights of Labor formed the National Labor Union in 1866. b. It exclusively defended the rights of female workers. c. The Knights of Labor was formed by the government to protect employee rights. d. The jurisdiction of the Knights of Labor was limited to workers in the railways. e. The Knights of Labor initiated strikes which were successful in increasing pay and benefits. 10. Which of the following organizations was formed as a result of political differences within the American Federation of Labor? a. Congress of Industrial Organizations b. Knights of Labor c. National Labor Union d. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers e. Industrial Workers of the World 11. Which of the following industry specific local unions falls under the AFL-CIO? a. United Food and Commercial Workers b. United Farm Workers of America c. Service Employees International Union d. Airline Pilots Association e. Directors Guild of America 12. Which of the following industry-specific local unions falls under the Change to Win Federation? a. American Federation of Government Employees b. Directors Guild of America c. Federation of Professional Athletes d. Airline Pilots Association e. Service Employees International Union 13. Which of the following is an independent union? a. American Federation of Government Employees b. Associated Actors of America c. Federation of Professional Athletes d. Major League Baseball Players Association 2012 Flat World Knowledge 2
e. Teamsters 14. Which of the following labor union laws was amended in 1936 to cover the aviation industry? a. The Norris-LaGuardia Act b. The Railway Labor Act c. The Wagner Act d. The Landrum Griffin Act e. The Taft-Hartley Act 15. The of 1932 barred federal courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent labor disputes and created a noninterference of employers against workers joining a union. a. Taft-Hartley Act b. Wagner Act c. Norris-LaGuardia Act d. Landrum Griffin Act e. Railway Labor Act 16. A yellow-dog contract is an agreement in which: a. the worker agrees not to join a union before accepting a job. b. the employer agrees to provide reasonable accommodation to an employee with a disability. c. the worker agrees to provide his genetic information to the employer. d. the employer agrees to provide twelve weeks of unpaid leave in case of emergency. e. the worker agrees not to indulge in any form of racial discrimination. 17. Which of the following is true about yellow-dog contracts? a. These contracts require that workers agree to join a union before joining a job. b. The Wagner Act made these contracts legal in the U.S. c. The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 made these contracts unenforceable in courts. d. These contracts require that the employer agrees to provide twelve weeks of unpaid leave in case of emergency. e. These contracts require that the worker agrees not to indulge in any form of racial discrimination. 18. Employers must allow freedom of association, organization and cannot interfere with, restrain or coerce employees who form a union. This is one of the aspects of the. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 3
a. Railway Labor Act b. Wagner Act c. Landrum Griffin Act d. Taft-Hartley Act e. yellow-dog contract 19. Which of the following oversees the Taft-Hartley Act? a. The American Federation of Labor b. The National Labor Union c. The National Mediation Board d. Congress of Industrial Organizations e. The National Labor Relations Board 20. Which of the following is the primary reason for the passing of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947? a. The act was introduced because of the upsurge of union strikes during 1947. b. The act was passed to legalize wildcat strikes and secondary actions. c. The act was passed because of the failure of the Wagner Act to protect the rights of union members. d. The act was passed to prevent federal courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent labor disputes. e. The act was created because of the inequality faced by women employees in the workplace. 21. The Taft-Hartley Act, which was introduced as a response to the upsurge of strikes in that time period, outlawed: a. union lockouts. b. union salting. c. union busting. d. secondary actions. e. jurisdictional strikes. 22. Wildcat strikes are: a. methods of legitimately organizing all workers in the same industry into the same union. b. those in which one union goes on strike in sympathy for another union. c. those in which union members negotiate peacefully with employers. d. methods of unionization wherein secret ballot and card checks are made illegal. e. those which are not authorized by the union. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 4
23. Which of the following is true of wildcat strikes? a. They are authorized by unions. b. They are considered illegal according to the Taft-Hartley Act. c. These are strikes called by one union in sympathy for another union. d. These are methods of unionization wherein secret ballot and card checks are made illegal. e. These are strikes called by a union on behalf of a wronged union member. 24. is an action in which one union goes on strike in sympathy for another union. a. Secondary boycott b. Union salting c. Wildcat strike d. Collective bargaining e. Union busting 25. Which of the following acts passed in 1959 required unions to hold secret elections, submit annual financial reports, and develop standards for the expulsion of a member of the union? a. The Taft-Hartley Act b. The Norris-LaGuardia Act c. The Landrum Griffin Act d. The Railway Labor Act e. The Wagner Act 26. is a union strategy which encourages union supporters to apply for jobs in nonunion environments to actively work to unionize other employees when they are hired. a. Secondary boycott b. Union salting c. Arbitration d. Mediation e. Union busting Fill in the Blanks 27. The was passed as a result of the common yellow-dog contracts, where a worker agreed not to join a union before accepting a job. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 5
28. A union strategy that encourages union supporters to apply for jobs in nonunion environments to actively work to unionize other employees when they are hired is referred to as. Short Answer/Essay Questions 29. Define a labor union. Why are labor unions formed? A labor union, or union, is defined as workers banding together to meet common goals, such as better pay, benefits, or promotion rules. Often, employees may feel that their economic needs are not being met satisfactorily and that a union can help them receive better economic aspects. Fairness in the workplace is another reason why people join unions. If employees feel that scheduling, vacation time, transfers, and promotions are not given fairly, they may join a union to eliminate some of the unfairness associated with these processes. 30. Describe how the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers came into existence. Trade unions were developed in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, when employees had little skill and the employer had the power to dictate terms of employment. This resulted in many employees being treated unfairly and being underpaid. In the United States, unionization increased with the building of railroads in the late 1860s. The wages in the railroad industry were low and the threat of injury or death was high, as was in many manufacturing facilities with little or no safety laws and regulations in place. As a result, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and several other brotherhoods (focused on specific tasks only, such as conductors and brakeman) were formed to protect workers rights, although many workers were fired due to their membership. 31. Elaborate on the National Labor Union. The National Labor Union, formed in 1866, paved the way for other labor organizations. The goal of NLU was to form a national labor federation that could lobby in the government for labor reforms on behalf of the labor organizations. Their main focus was to limit the workday to eight hours. While the NLU garnered many supporters, it excluded Chinese workers and only made some attempts to defend the rights of African Americans and female workers. The NLU can be credited with the eight-hour work day, which was approved and passed in 1968. 32. Discuss the Railway Labor Act of 1926. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 6
The Railway Labor Act of 1926 applies to railroads and was amended to cover airlines in 1936. The goal of the act is to ensure that there is no disruption of interstate commerce. The main provisions of the act include alternate dispute resolution, arbitration, and mediation to resolve labor disputes. Any dispute must be resolved in this manner before a strike can happen. The RLA is administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB) and it outlines very specific and detailed processes for dispute resolution in these industries. 33. What is union salting? It is in the best interest of a union to have as many members as possible. Because of this, unions may use many tactics during the organizing process. For example, many unions are also politically involved and support candidates who they feel would best represent the interests of the labor. They provide training to organizers and sometimes even encourage union supporters to apply for jobs in nonunion environments to actively work to unionize other employees when they are hired. This practice is called union salting. Section Two True/False Questions 34. A union shop requires a person to join the union at the time of joining the organization. 35. A closed shop mechanism made union membership an optional requirement for a job applicant. 36. Wages strictly fall under the permissive category of bargaining topics. 37. Once a decision has been arrived at through the collective bargaining process and a new contract has been written, it cannot be altered. 38. Bargaining impasse is a situation when the two parties involved in an organizational conflict are unable to reach a consensus regarding the collective bargaining contract. 39. A lockout is a strike in which employees refuse to work in order to pressurize employers into accepting their demands. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 7
Multiple Choice Questions 40. is the process of negotiations between the company and representatives of the union. a. Union salting b. Collective bargaining c. Checkoff process d. Wildcat strike e. Cloud computing 41. occurs when the employer, on behalf of the union, automatically deducts dues from union member s paychecks. a. Yellow-dog contract b. Over confidence bias c. Pregnant pause d. Checkoff provision e. Wildcat strike 42. In which of the following arrangements must a person be a union member in order to be hired? a. A post-entry closed shop b. An open shop c. A closed shop d. A union shop e. An agency shop 43. Which of the following acts made the closed shop arrangement illegal? a. The Norris-LaGuardia Act b. The Landrum Griffin Act c. The Wagner Act d. The Taft-Hartley Act e. The Railway Labor Act 44. Wages are an example of a(n) bargaining topic. a. permissive b. optional c. mandatory d. illegal e. discriminatory 2012 Flat World Knowledge 8
45. Management rights are an example of a(n) bargaining topic. a. permissive b. optional c. illegal d. mandatory e. discriminatory 46. Which of the following is true about permissible bargaining topics? a. These topics are not mandatory topics. b. It is considered illegal to include these topics in a bargaining agreement. c. These topics are not accepted by society at large. d. Wages are an example of a permissible bargaining topic. e. Work conditions is an example of a permissible bargaining topic. 47. The first step of the collective bargaining process involves both parties: a. coming to the table with their respective proposals. b. conducting an initial discussion to distinguish those requests that can be honored from those that cannot be fulfilled. c. coming to an agreement and writing a new contract which the union members have the freedom to accept or reject. d. establishing objectives for the negotiation and reviewing the old contract. e. determining the timelines and ground rules for the bargaining process. 48. Humanity, a trade union for construction workers, recently took up the case of a worker who was injured on-site and was not given compensation by Exotic Developers. Since incidents like this were frequent, Humanity began negotiating safer conditions of employment for construction workers with the Federation of Urban Developers. After three rounds of talks, the Federation was still unwilling to increase safety measures. The contract negotiations have now come to a standstill. This is an example of a. a. bargaining impasse b. slowdown c. checkoff provision d. lockout e. jurisdictional strike 49. The workers of an automobile factory gathered outside the plant and refused to work for five consecutive days. They were disappointed that their demand for a salary hike was refused and responded to this bargaining impasse by initiating a(n). a. sympathy strike 2012 Flat World Knowledge 9
b. lockout c. slowdown d. economic strike e. jurisdictional strike 50. The goal of a(n), which prevents workers from working, is to put pressure on the union to accept a contract put forward by the management. a. slowdown b. economic strike c. walk-out d. wildcat strike e. lockout 51. The workers of a garment factory reduced their productivity by half to protest against the refusal of the employers to improve working conditions. This is an example of a. a. lockout b. sympathy strike c. sick-out d. slowdown e. walk-out 52. are used to put pressure on an employer to assign work to members of one union versus another or to put pressure on management to recognize one union representation when it currently recognizes another. a. Sympathy strikes b. Slowdowns c. Jurisdictional strikes d. Economic strikes e. Lockouts 53. Sympathy strikes are primarily designed to: a. support organizations fighting against unionization. b. show support for a union on strike. c. restrict the formation of unions. d. protest against decisions made by mediators. e. fight against collective bargaining. 54. A union consisting of 35,000 workers of a shoe manufacturing factory went on a hunger strike to protest against poor working conditions. To show their support, 2012 Flat World Knowledge 10
workers of a garment factory also went on a hunger strike. This is an example of a(n). a. jurisdictional strike b. sympathy strike c. lockout d. sick-out strike e. economic strike Fill in the Blanks 55. In the mechanism, workers do not have to join the union, but still must pay union dues. 56. are bargaining topics included in collective bargaining that are not required, but may be brought up during the process. 57. Some unions engage in a or an intentional reduction in productivity instead of a strike to pressurize an organization into accepting the proposed contract. 58. When members of a union call in sick, it is referred to as a. 59. Wildcat strikes are illegal under the, as they are not authorized by the union and usually violate a collective bargaining agreement. Short Answer/Essay Questions 60. What is collective bargaining? When employees of an organization vote to unionize, the process for collective bargaining begins. Collective bargaining is the process of negotiations between the company and representatives of the union. The goal is for the management and the union to reach a contract agreement, which is put into place for a specified period of time. Once this time period expires, a new contract is negotiated. 61. What are the three main classifications of bargaining topics? There are three main classifications of bargaining topics: mandatory, permissive, and illegal. Wages, health and safety, management rights, work conditions, and benefits fall under the mandatory category. Permissive topics are those which are 2012 Flat World Knowledge 11
not required, but may be brought up during the process, like drug testing, for instance. Bargaining issues can be classified as illegal topics; these are topics which may be of a discriminatory nature or any issue that would be considered illegal outside of the agreement. 62. What is a bargaining impasse? When the two parties involved in an organizational conflict are unable to reach a consensus on the collective bargaining agreement, it is called a bargaining impasse. Various kinds of strikes are used to show the displeasure of workers regarding a bargaining impasse. Economic strikes, unfair labor practices strikes, slowdowns, sick-outs, and walk outs are some strikes that employees resort to in response to a bargaining impasse. Section Three True/False Questions 63. The grievance procedure outlines the process by which actions that violate the contract will be handled. 64. Mediators can work on grievance processes but not on collective bargaining issues. 65. Arbitration is the final aspect of the grievance procedure. 66. A principle grievance deals with basic contract issues surrounding seniority or pay. 67. The union does not have the power to file a grievance on behalf of an individual worker or the group. Multiple Choice Questions 68. The first step in the grievance process is likely to involve: a. discussions with top senior executives to resolve the grievance. b. a submission of a formal and written complaint about the grievance. c. discussion with the manager, employee, and a union representative. d. presentation of the complaint to the company s union grievance committee. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 12
e. mediation or arbitration to discuss and resolve the grievance. 69. Which of the following steps in the grievance process should ideally be taken if informal conversations with the manager, employee, and a union representative fail? a. Discussions with a national union officer b. Mediation to discuss the grievance c. Submission of a formalized response to the grievance by the management d. Initiation of the grievance process through formal and written means e. Arbitration to discuss the grievance 70. Of the following steps of a grievance process, which one should be taken when a mediator fails to resolve the conflict between the employers and the employees? a. Top senior executives are brought into the discussion to resolve the grievance. b. The dispute is brought to a national union officer, who will work with management to try and resolve the issue. c. The complaint is presented to the company s union grievance committee. d. The union initiates the grievance process by formally expressing it in writing. e. An arbitrator is asked to review the evidence and make a decision. 71. A(n) is an impartial third party called in to help resolve a grievance and whose recommendations are not binding. a. union steward b. arbitrator c. mediator d. activist e. broker 72. Which of the following is true of a mediator? a. The recommendations made by a mediator are not binding for either party involved in a conflict. b. A mediator works exclusively on grievance processes related to the union and employees. c. A mediator comes in at the final stage of attempts to resolve a bargaining impasse. d. A mediator is a member of the organization that represents the interests of union members. e. A mediator works exclusively on collective bargaining issues. 73. Which of the following is true of an arbitrator? 2012 Flat World Knowledge 13
a. An arbitrator is a member of the union who represents the interests of the union members. b. An arbitrator comes in at the first stage of the process of resolving a bargaining impasse. c. An arbitrator does not resolve the charge or impose a decision on the parties. d. The recommendations made by an arbitrator are subject to the approval of the management. e. The recommendations made by an arbitrator are binding for both parties involved in a conflict. 74. When one member of the union feels he or she has been mistreated and directly files a grievance, it is referred to as: a. policy grievance. b. arbitration. c. group grievance. d. union grievance. e. individual grievance. 75. Derby faces negative bias at work. If she chooses to present her complaint before the authorities, which of the following grievances will her complaint get categorized under? a. Union b. Individual c. Principle d. Group e. Policy 76. If several union members have been mistreated in the same way and they directly file a grievance, their grievances will be categorized as a(n): a. policy grievance. b. personal grievance. c. group grievance. d. union grievance. e. individual grievance. 77. Five-hundred factory workers of a leather treatment plant received an upgrade in classification and in pay. However, this was not reflected in their last two paychecks. So they get together and file a grievance directly. This will be categorized under a(n): a. union grievance. b. principle grievance. c. individual grievance. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 14
d. personal grievance. e. policy grievance. 78. A(n) grievance is initiated if an employee or group is not willing to formally file a grievance. a. union b. individual c. principle d. personal e. group Fill in the Blanks 79. Any recommendation made by the in the grievance process is not binding for either of the parties involved. 80. In the context of grievance procedure, a(n) is an impartial third party who is selected by both parties and who ultimately makes a binding decision in the situation. 81. A(n) grievance deals with basic contract issues surrounding seniority or pay. Short Answer/Essay Questions 82. Who is an arbitrator? Arbitration is the final aspect of a grievance. If no resolution develops after the mediation process, an arbitrator might be asked to review the evidence and make a decision. An arbitrator is an impartial third party who is selected by both parties. It is the arbitrator who ultimately makes a binding decision on the situation. 83. What are the four categories of grievances? Most grievances fall within one of the following categories. There are individual/personal grievances, where one member of the union feels he or she has been mistreated. A group grievance would occur if several union members have been mistreated in the same way. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 15
A principle grievance deals with basic contract issues surrounding seniority or pay, for example. A union or policy grievance is initiated if the union files a grievance on behalf of an individual or on behalf of a group that is unwilling to formally file the grievance themselves. 2012 Flat World Knowledge 16