Exam 12: Dealing With Employeemanagement Issues

Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the workplace.

Several Webster Groves police officers called in sick-one after the other. As the dispatcher took the calls, she thought there could be more to this story than she was hearing. In fact, she thought it might be related to the discussion she heard in the break room last night. Several officers were leaving their shifts and were not happy with the recent changes in scheduling, the excessive overtime hours, and management's reluctance to begin negotiations on a new benefits package. She even heard one officer saying, "It's time for a mental health day!" Although it is illegal for police to strike, what the police dispatcher was witnessing may have been

JetStream Airlines implemented a program to curb workplace violence before it occurs. Under this program, the employees of JetStream can expect to

Robert Buckman is a researcher studying the effects of alcohol and drug abuse. The alcohol center where he works states, "Our mission is to conduct, coordinate, and promote basic and clinical research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of alcoholism and alcoholic disease." Looking forward, which of the following statements are you likely to agree with?

Arbitration is an agreement to bring in an impartial third party to render a binding decision in a labor dispute.

Which of the following is likely to remain a controversial labor-management issue in the future?

________ is the demand for equal pay for jobs requiring similar levels of education, training, and skill.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) consists of

Under a closed shop agreement, workers must agree not to join a union in order to keep their jobs.

Union membership has declined in recent years. What has led to this decline and what can unions do to turn this trend around?

Elder care costs are likely to remain a major issue for businesses for many years.

The negotiated labor-management agreement clarifies the terms and conditions under which labor and management agree to function over a specified period of time.

Economist Thomas Piketty is very critical of the exorbitant compensations that some CEOs are getting.

In a union shop

________ is the process by which a group of workers legally take away a union's right to represent them.

When union members who have a dispute with a company walk around outside the firm's place of business carrying signs and talking to the media and public about their concerns, they are using a tactic known as

The law protects both women and men from sexual harassment.

The ________ was set up as a federation of many separate craft unions.

The strike historically has been the most powerful weapon unions use to achieve their objectives in labor disputes.

Mini-Case The workers at Endrun Corporation are not affiliated with a union. Until recently, the workers felt they were well paid and treated fairly by the company, so they had little interest in seeking union representation. However, worker morale at Endrun has declined steadily since the board of directors fired the old CEO last year and replaced him with Ty Runt, a no-nonsense, autocratic manager with a reputation for cutting costs. As soon as he took over, Ty fired other members of the old top management team and replaced them with people who shared his views. Together, the new management team made a series of moves that did not sit well with Endrun's workers. First, they announced changes in work procedures designed to speed up the production line. Many workers complained that the new methods cut corners and were unsafe, but management refused to listen. A few months after changing work methods, the company told workers that it was reducing their health benefits. This led to even greater worker unrest. Finally, just a few weeks ago, workers received word that the wages of all production-line employees would be cut by 6 percent. Many employees felt this was the last straw, especially since the company's board of directors recently approved big salary increases and more lucrative stock option plans for Ty and his management team. A spokesperson for the board explained that the raises were justified because of the management team's "outstanding efforts to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve the company's profits." Several disgruntled employees, led by Ima Striker and Boyd Cotter, now believe it is time to obtain union representation. Top managers at the company have hinted that workers who actively participate in the union campaign may be among the first workers laid off if the company decides to downsize. Ima and Boyd are not intimidated by these management threats. "I wish we didn't have to do this," Ima recently told many of her fellow workers at the plant. "But someone has to stop Ty Runt and his team from ruining our jobs." -The plant where Ima and Boyd work is located in Illinois, which does not have a right-to-work law. If the workers approve the union as their bargaining agent, Boyd wants to get the greatest union membership that is legally possible. Boyd is likely to push for a(n)