Question 1

Courts will issue an injunction against union tactics only if management can show a just cause to restrict the union tactic.

Accepted Answer

Courts require management to provide evidence of harm or potential harm caused by the union tactics in order to justify an injunction. Without sufficient justification, the courts will not restrict the union's right to engage in collective bargaining and union activities.

Question 2

Despite their high pay, most CEOs work far fewer hours per week than the average employee in their companies.

Accepted Answer

Most CEOs work significantly more hours than the average employee, often exceeding 60 hours per week, as their responsibilities require constant attention and decision-making that goes beyond standard working hours.

Question 3

In the next few years, unions are likely to find that they must adopt a tough, confrontational approach in order to get what they want from management.

Accepted Answer

Due to significant declines in membership, as well as the decline in manufacturing, the role of unions has changed. The drop in membership has made it difficult for unions to take a hard stand against management, on just about any issue. The once powerful manufacturing-based unions do not exist. In the future, unions will need to cooperate with management in training workers, redesigning jobs, and helping to assimilate workers into the service-based economy.

Question 4

Membership in labor unions has grown steadily over the past 50 years.

Accepted Answer

Membership in labor unions has actually decreased over the past 50 years. In 1983, about 20.1% of workers in the United States belonged to a union, while in 2020, only about 10.8% were union members.

Question 5

In the future, unions are likely to leave training and recruitment of workers to management, and focus instead on encouraging those workers to join the union.

Accepted Answer

Unions typically have a strong interest in ensuring that workers are trained and recruited in a way that aligns with their values and priorities. While they may work with management to some extent, it is unlikely that unions would completely hand over these responsibilities to management in the future.

Question 6

The disparity in salaries is clearly reflected in the fact that the average executive compensation for a major company was $10.4 million, compared to about $38,000 that the average worker was compensated.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true according to various studies and reports on executive compensation and worker pay.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Piketty has been vocal about his criticisms of high CEO pay and its impact on income inequality, as described in his book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century."

Question 8

Union representatives and the management at Bathtub Brewing Company's have reached an impasse. Going forward, the union is planning an organized strike and other tactics to put pressure on management where it will be most effective. Union supporters are being encouraged to avoid purchasing Bathtub Brewing's products. Now union leaders have contacted a variety of stores that stock Bathtub Brewing's beer telling them union members and other supporters will stop shopping at any store that continues to carry Bathtub Brewing's beer until the dispute is resolved in the union's favor. This tactic against stores that carry Bathtub Brewing Company is called a primary boycott.

Accepted Answer

A primary boycott is a boycott against a firm involved in a labor dispute. Thus, the action taken directly against Bathtub Brewing Company would be a primary boycott. However, the action against retail stores is a secondary boycott. A secondary boycott occurs when a union boycotts firms not directly involved in the labor dispute in an effort to persuade them to stop doing business with the firm that is the subject of the primary boycott. Secondary boycotts were declared illegal by the Taft-Hartley Act.

Question 9

CEOs only earn high salaries and bonuses when their companies earn substantial profits.

Accepted Answer

CEOs can earn high salaries and bonuses even when their companies do not earn substantial profits, as their compensation packages often include base salaries, bonuses, stock options, and other incentives that may not be directly tied to company profits.

Question 10

After adjusting for inflation, the average executive compensation is actually a little lower now than it was in 1960.

Accepted Answer

According to a report by the Economic Policy Institute, the average CEO compensation, adjusted for inflation, was 20 times higher in 2019 than it was in 1965. While some years' executive compensation may have fluctuated, the overall trend since the 1960s has been a significant increase.

Question 11

The largest labor organization in the U.S. is the National Education Association (NEA).

Accepted Answer

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the NEA is indeed the largest labor organization in the U.S. with more than 2.2 million members.

Question 12

Striking union workers are picketing near the entrance of the Bathtub Brewing Company's plant. The workers are acting peacefully and have not threatened anyone entering or leaving the company or damaged any property. Bathtub Brewing's management is seeking an injunction to prevent the workers from picketing. The courts are unlikely to issue an injunction under the current circumstances.

Accepted Answer

Courts will issue injunctions against union activities if the company seeking the injunction can show a just cause such as the possibility of violence or destruction of property.

Question 13

The unions of the 21st century are likely to be quite different from those in the past.

Accepted Answer

With changes in the nature of work and organization, as well as shifting social and political contexts, it is likely that unions will evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. This may involve new forms of unionization, different strategies for collective bargaining, and expanded roles in advocating for workers' rights and social justice issues.

Question 14

Workers at the Manchester plant of Vandelay Industries have gone out on strike. Management believes it could continue operations as normal by hiring replacement workers. If the company hires nonunion workers to continue its operations, it will be violating a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared hiring replacement workers as a violation of the Wagner Act.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court ruled in 1938 that employers had the right to replace striking workers. The law has not changed.

Question 15

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was intended to give shareholders more say in executive compensation.

Accepted Answer

One of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act was to require companies to give shareholders a non-binding vote on executive compensation packages, commonly known as "say-on-pay" votes. This was intended to give shareholders a greater voice in corporate governance and ensure that executive pay was aligned with company performance.

Question 16

Last year, employees at your local community college were on strike. Very few students were crossing the picket line. In fact, the postal employees refused to deliver mail there claiming that they were honoring the strike for their fellow service union members. The postal employees were participating in a voluntary secondary boycott.

Accepted Answer

A secondary boycott occurs when union members encourage others to stop doing business with the company that is the focus of the primary boycott.

Question 17

The Taft-Hartley Act gives the president the power to require striking workers in any industry to return to their jobs for a cooling-off period while representatives of management and the union continue to negotiate.

Accepted Answer

The Taft-Hartley Act allows the president to ask for a cooling-off period to prevent a strike only in a critical industry that is vital to the nation's health or safety.

Question 18

Comparable worth is concerned with making sure that women get paid as much as men when they do the same jobs.

Accepted Answer

Comparable worth, also known as pay equity, is concerned with ensuring that jobs of equal value or worth are paid the same, regardless of gender. It is not limited to ensuring that women get paid as much as men for doing the same jobs, although that can be a part of it.

Question 19

The lockout is the most common tactic used by management today to deal with labor management disputes.

Accepted Answer

The most common tactic used by management today to deal with labor management disputes is negotiation, often leading to collective bargaining agreements. Lockouts are less common and are typically used as a last resort.

Question 20

On the average, today's CEO of a Fortune 500 company makes over 344 times what the lowest-paid employee earns.

Accepted Answer

This is a widely reported statistic and has been found to be true through various studies and reports.

Quiz 12: Dealing With Employeemanagement Issues