Chapters 1-3

Question 1

Industrial Relations

Answer 1

broad interdisciplinary field of study and practice that encompasses all aspect of the employment relationship.
* The study of employment relationships and issues, often in unionized workplace, similar to labour relations.

Question 2

Labour Relations

Answer 2

All aspect of union – management relationship

Question 3

Employee Relations

Answer 3

The study of employment relationship between employer and individual employees, usually in non-union settings

Question 4

What is the employment relationship governed by in a non-unionized workplace

Answer 4

-employment legislation
-individual contract
-common law

Question 5

What are the parameters to be dismissed without just cause for non-unionized employees

Answer 5

reasonable notice or pay in lieu of notice as per employment legislation and common law

Question 6

what is the recourse for dismissal with or without cause in non-unionized workplaces? what is the best outcome?

Answer 6

court action and monetary action

Question 7

What is the employment relationship governed by in a unionized workplace?

Answer 7

• government legislation
  -collective agreement
  -grievance/arbitration process

Question 8

What are the parameters to be dismissed without just cause for unionized employees

Answer 8

Essentially in non unionized they just give notice or pay in lieu of it but in unionized you can be dismissed without cause, but the company needs to follow to steps laid out for lay off or termination that’s in the collective agreement

Question 9

what is the recourse for dismissal with or without cause in unionized workplaces? what is the best outcome?

Answer 9

• Recourse is through the grievance/arbitration process.

Best outcome through the grievance/arbitration process: reinstatement

Question 10

How did unions and labour relations develop in Canada?

Answer 10

early 1800s:Unions starts on the basis of skilled or craft workers, they were the only employees who could join union

Attempts made to organize workers within a firm in different occupations called industrial unions (everyone can join, skilled and non skilled)

Unionization still illegal at this point

Mid 1800s-early 1900s: American unions try to form in Canada through the American federation of labour

• Winnipeg General Strike in 1919

In 1935, U.S. passes the Wagner Act, also called the National Labor Relations Act
Giving rights to unionize to workers

Canada passes Privy Council Order 1003 (PC 1003) which provides collective bargaining rights for the private sector

Question 11

Yellow dog contracts

Answer 11

• Means that they would put in contract that after you get hired you can’t join a union or if you were previously part of a union in a diff organization you can’t join this organization

Question 12

What are the 2 different union philosophies

Answer 12

• Business unionism: union for the purpose of economic benefits of their members like salary, job security etc.
• Social unionism: in addition to members financial benefits they are also involved to contribute to society. Example giving scholarship to their members.

Question 13

Winnipeg General Strike

Answer 13

One of the most important event in canada labour history
Started with a group of telephone operators who walked off their jobs in a sympathy stike for metalworkers
Within 24 hours between 20000 and 35000 mostly non union workers

Question 14

What are the 4 key elements of Dunlop systems approach to labour relations?

Answer 14

actors or parties (union, employers, government)
processes and activities (contract negotiations)
outputs of results (collective agreement)
the environment (economy, technology, social values, political system, legal system)

Question 15

What is the basis of the political economy approach to labour relations

Answer 15

sees conflict as inherent between employers and employees

Question 16

What are the 6 environmental factors that impact labour relations

Answer 16

economic
technological
demographic
political
legislative
social environment

Question 17

What will unions fight for when inflation is high?

Answer 17

unions will fight for higher wages than the inflations rate

Question 18

What will happen when the economic conditions are very good

Answer 18

the union will try to get more money because they know the organization doesn’t want any disruptions to their production

they won’t go after places for firing employees because they know they can get another job

Question 19

How will the unemployment rate affect what unions will ask for?

Answer 19

• If its UR is high, union will focus more on job security bc if someone loses their job it means its hard to find another job
  
  • If UR is low, union won’t be concerned with job security, and management can’t low ball the pay as much, flexibility is less

Question 20

macroeconomic environment

Answer 20

represents the economic big picture: the growth rate, unemployment rate, the rate of inflation

Question 21

nominal wages

Answer 21

wages that haven’t been adjusted for inflation

Question 22

real wages

Answer 22

wages that have been adjusted for inflation

Question 23

fiscal policy

Answer 23

changes in government spending and taxation, when government gives money it gives people more money, which can increase inflation

Question 24

monetary policy

Answer 24

consists of changes in interest rates to regulate employment levels and inflation.

Question 25

What are the 7 key economic factors affecting labour relations

Answer 25

labour market changes: supply/demand, union will ask for more when job in demand

globalization: union will try to keep work in Canada instead of sourcing somewhere cheaper

trade liberalization: free trade, USMCA

deregualtion: government stops regulating an industry

non-standard work: unions push for full time employees bc part-time or contract workers hard to unionize

mergers: union will be concerned with severance pay, job security

downsizing: layoffs, termination

Question 26

What is the affect of technological changes in the environment on unions

Answer 26

unions will fight for job security with automation and also technology will require workers to upskill and unions will fight for hire wages because of that or when jobs are downgraded and require less skills, employers will try to reduce wages

Question 27

What happens is a union has more social support in their social environment?

Answer 27

more power and then try to exploit for their members at the cost of general public (example: higher wages means price goes up for consumers)

Question 28

labour relations regulations

Answer 28

regulates the relationship between the union representing employees and the employer.

Question 29

Factors Determining Undue Hardship

Answer 29

Financial cost
Size of the employer’s operations
Interchangeability of the workforce and facilities
Safety
Provisions of any collective agreement
Effect on employee morale

Question 30

What are the 2 key management objectives?

Answer 30

productivity/efficiency and control

Question 31

What is productivity made up of

Answer 31

ability x motivation x environment

Question 32

Production design

Answer 32

is a process that leads to the efficient and effective generation of a product or service.

Question 33

Job design

Answer 33

is an approach to enhance organizational efficiency and worker satisfaction through technological and human considerations.

Question 34

Reengineering

Answer 34

is a fundamental re-thinking and redesign of business processes to achieve improvements in efficiencies, costs and quality.

Question 35

production design, job design, and reengineering affect which key management objective

Answer 35

productivity

Question 36

What are some methods management will do to maintain control

Answer 36

lobbying political party to make law in favour of them
lockouts
prevent unionization
public relations
work collaboratively with the union

Question 37

A labour relations strategy
is…

Answer 37

how an employer deals with the unionization of its employees.

Question 38

What are the 8 factors that affect an employers labour relations strategy?

Answer 38

1.competitive strategy: cost leadership or differentiation
2.union or non-union status of competitor
3. expereince with unionization: (if one location is unionized how they feel about other location becoming unionized)
4. management values or ideology: how managers own thinking is about unionization
5. union philosophy or policy
6. union power and ability to oppose employer: the larger the union is the more money they have and more they can fight
7. Types of employees: part time vs full time
8. legal environment: strength determined on how much the legislation supports unionization vs management

Question 39

what are the 5 possible Labour relation strategies to achieve productivity and control?

Answer 39

union opposition
union avoidance
union acceptance
union resistance
union removal

Question 40

union opposition

Answer 40

when the organization has no unionized employees and wants it stay that way and to oppose the unionization they’ll do legal and illegal things to stop it from happening

Question 41

union avoidance or substitution

Answer 41

is a strategy aimed at preventing unionization using legal means to convince employees they do not need a union by offering what the industry standard for unionized employees in other organizations is so employees don’t need to unionize

Question 42

Union Acceptance:

Answer 42

is a strategy in which the employer remains neutral in an organizing attempt, and if the attempt is successful tries to negotiate the best deal with the union.

Question 43

union resistance

Answer 43

is a strategy in which the employer attempts to limit the further spread of unionization in the organization.

Question 44

union removal

Answer 44

is a strategy in which the employer attempts to rid itself of any union

Question 45

low commitment HR strategy

Answer 45

involves traditional production methods and a low emphasis on development of workforce skills.

linked to cost leadership strategy

Question 46

high commitment HR strategy

Answer 46

involves the adoption of better technology and requires investment in training and development of human resources.

Question 47

What is the significance of high performance work systems for labour relations

Answer 47

-union will resist
-will try to protect job loss form technological change
-unions will resist variable pay plans bc not everyone will get it

Question 48

high performance work systems

Answer 48

sees HR as a firm’s competitive advantage and includes:
-job redesign
-employee involvement
-training and skill development
-compensation based on performance

Question 49

forms of employee involvement

Answer 49

quality circles
problem solving groups
employee-management committees
self-directed teams

Question 50

quality circles

Answer 50

are groups of employees who investigate problems relating to quality and make recommendations to management for improvements.

Question 51

problem solving groups

Answer 51

are teams of employees that consider issues and make recommendations to management.

Question 52

employee-management committees

Answer 52

are ongoing groups made up of management and employee representatives who advise management.

Question 53

self-directed teams

Answer 53

are groups of employees that take on functions previously performed by management.

Question 54

co-determination

Answer 54

is a system in which management shares decision-making authority with the union. Rare in Canada and USA