Union operations in the public sector
According to John
Dunlop, which of the following is required for an industrial relations system
to be successful?
·
ANS: The system should
consist of participants that have a common ideology.
According to John Dunlop, a successful industrial relations system consists of
four elements: (1) an environmental context; (2) participants; (3) a "web
of rules"; and (4) ideology. For the industrial relations system to
operate properly, the three participants must, to some degree, have a common
ideology and must accept the roles of the other participants.
Which of the following
is true of nonunion employers?
·
ANS: For nonunion
employers, union avoidance is an important employee relations objective.
For nonunion employers, union avoidance is an important employee relations
objective. Top management's values in such companies drive specific policies
such as promotion from within, an influential personnel-human resource
department, and above-average pay and benefits.
A list of unfair labor
practices was added to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) through the
_____.
·
ANS: Taft-Hartley Act
Originally, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) did not list any union
unfair labor practices. These were added through the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. The
1959 Landrum-Griffin Act further regulated unions' actions and their internal
affairs (such as financial disclosure and conduct of elections).
Which of the following
is true of the Taft-Hartley Act?
·
ANS: It outlaws union
operations that threaten an employee's life and job.
Originally, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) did not list any union
unfair labor practices; these were added through the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act,
which outlawed unfair union labor practices. Threats to employees of bodily
injury or that they will lose their jobs unless they support the union's
activities are considered union unfair labor practices.
Which of the following
is true of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)?
·
ANS: Its jurisdiction
is limited to employers whose operations affect commerce generally.
The National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's) jurisdiction is limited to
employers whose operations affect commerce generally and interstate commerce in
particular. In practice, only purely local firms are likely to fall outside the
NLRB's jurisdiction.
The management of an
organization is LESS able to afford a strike when:
·
ANS: the organization
is labor-intensive.
An organization that is capital intensive (versus labor-intensive) is less
dependent on its employees and more likely to be able to use supervisors or
others as replacements. Therefore, such an organization can afford a strike.
Telephone companies are typically able to operate through strikes, even though
installing new equipment or services and repair work may take significantly
longer than usual.
The management of an
organization is MORE able to afford a strike when:
·
ANS: the organization
has no integrated facilities.
When one facility produces something that other facilities need for their
products, the employer is less able to take a strike because the disruption to
production goes beyond that single facility. The just-in-time production
system, which provides very little stockpiling of parts, further weakens
management's ability to take a strike.
A(n) _____ typically
reports on the reasons for a labor-management dispute and the views and
arguments of both sides.
·
ANS: fact finder
A fact finder, most commonly used in the public sector, typically reports on
the reasons for the dispute, the views and arguments of both sides, and (in
some cases) a recommended settlement, which the parties are free to decline.
That these recommendations are made public may give rise to public pressure for
a settlement.
Arbitrating the
enforcement or interpretation of contract terms is called _____ arbitration.
·
ANS: rights
Traditionally, arbitrating the enforcement or interpretation of contract terms
(rights arbitration) has been widely accepted, whereas arbitrating the actual
writing or setting of contract terms (interest arbitration) has been reserved
for special circumstances. These include some public-sector negotiations, where
strikes may be especially costly, and a very few private-sector situations,
where strikes have been especially debilitating to both sides.
Which of the following
is the FIRST step in a typical employee-initiated grievance procedure?
·
ANS: The employee
discusses the grievance verbally with the supervisor.
The first step in a typical employee-initiated grievance procedure consists of
the following sub-steps: (a) the employee discusses the grievance or problem
verbally with the supervisor. (b) The union steward and employee may discuss
the problem verbally with the supervisor. (c) The union steward and employee
decide (1) whether the problem has been resolved or (2) if not resolved,
whether a contract violation has occurred.
Which of the following
is the LAST step in a typical employee-initiated grievance procedure?
·
ANS: Grievance is
appealed to arbitration for binding decision.
In the last step of a typical employee-initiated grievance procedure, the
grievance is appealed to arbitration for a binding decision. Before this is
done, unions decide on whether to appeal unresolved grievance to arbitration
according to procedures specified in its constitution and/or bylaws.
Allen works as an
autoworker in a production unit and is a member of an industrial union. When
the workload increases and he loses his work-life balance, he simply leaves the
organization to work in another that has fewer demands. As a member of a union,
Allen follows the _____ mechanism.
·
ANS: exit
Employees, whether members of a union or not, communicate to management
regarding how good a job it is doing by either the "exit" or
"voice" mechanism. "Exit" refers to simply leaving the
company to work for a better employer.
Which of the following
decisions is an organization most likely to make at the strategic level?
·
ANS: The consideration
of nonunion operations and the effort it requires
At the strategic level, management makes basic choices such as whether to work
with its union(s) or to devote its efforts to developing nonunion
operations.Environmental factors (or competitive challenges) offer both
constraints and opportunities in implementing strategies.
A(n) _____ does not
require union membership, only that dues be paid.
·
ANS: agency shop
An agency shop is similar to a union shop but does not require union
membership, only that dues be paid.
A(n) _____ does not
require union membership, only that dues be paid.
·
ANS: agency shop
An agency shop is similar to a union shop but does not require union
membership, only that dues be paid.
Which of the following
parts of the labor-management negotiation process focuses on the conflicting
objectives of factions within labor and management?
·
ANS:
Intraorganizational bargaining
Intraorganizational bargaining is the part of the labor-management negotiation
process that focuses on the conflicting objectives of factions within labor and
management. It also reminds us that labor-management negotiations involve more
than just two parties.
At the most general
level, the NLRB holds a union representation election if at least _____ of
employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards.
·
ANS: 30%
At the most general level, the NLRB holds a union representation election if at
least 30% of employees in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards. If more
than 50% of the employees sign authorization cards, the union may request that
the employer voluntarily recognize it.
The transformational
approach to labor-management relations is low in _____.
·
ANS: third- and
fourth-step grievances
The transformational approach to labor-management relations is low in third-
and fourth-step grievances. However, it is high in informal resolution of
grievances.
Which of the following
is true of the traditional approach to labor-management relations?
·
ANS: The frequency of
conflicts is high.
The frequency of conflicts is high in the traditional approach to labor-management.
Yet, the speed of conflict resolution is slow.
When compared to
traditional labor relations, transformational labor relations are associated
with _____.
·
ANS: lower costs
Compared to the traditional approach, transformational labor relations were
found to be associated with lower costs, better product quality, and higher
productivity. The transformational approach is characterized by better conflict
resolution, more shop-floor cooperation, and greater worker autonomy and
feedback in decision making.
Ryan works as an
electrician in a manufacturing company, and he is a member of the local union.
When Ryan is assigned work in a new unit where the safety measures are not as
good as the main production unit, Ryan raises his concerns to the management.
Ryan can be said to have followed the _____ mechanism.
·
ANS: voice
Employees, whether members of a union or not, communicate to management
regarding how good a job it is doing by either the "exit" or
"voice" mechanisms. "Voice" refers to communicating one's
concerns to management without necessarily leaving the employer. In this
scenario, Ryan used the "voice" mechanism to raise his concerns.
Which of the following
statements is true about unionization and coverage in the United States?
·
ANS: The unionization
rate and coverage in the US is low compared to western Europe.
The unionization rate and coverage in the US is comparatively low. One
explanation is that the United States does not have as strong a history of deep
class-based divisions in society as other countries do. Furthermore, the labor
movement in western and northern Europe is broader than that in the United
States.
Which of the following
statements is true of union operations in the public sector?
·
ANS: At the local
level, strikes by firefighters are prohibited in nearly all states.
At the local level, all states prohibit strikes by police (Hawaii being a
partial exception) and firefighters (Idaho being the exception). Teachers and
state employees are somewhat more likely to have the right to strike, depending
on the state.
USA 
India