Questions and Answers of Industrial Relations

Describe your experiences with unions, either as a member or as a non-member. Have your experiences been positive or negative? How have your experiences affected your attitudes toward unions and
Choose a union that you are personally familiar with or one that you can research. From the information available to you, can you see evidence that supports a theory or theories presented in this
Describe your experiences with unions, either as a member or as a non-member. Have your experiences been positive or negative? How have your experiences affected your attitudes toward unions and
Outline how the mediation process works.
Distinguish between a mediator and a fact finder.
Why might an employer apply for decertification?
Explain why it is difficult for collective agreements to include exact language dealing with technological change.
What sorts of issues do you think would be important for a union to negotiate in managing technological change?
Outline the reasons for and against union participation in the planning of workplace restructuring.
What factors might affect whether a union is successful in achieving its desired outcomes in workplace restructuring?
Why are some unions opposed to part-time, temporary, and contract work, and other forms of nontraditional work?
What difficulties do unions face in organizing workers in service occupations?
What difficulties do unions face in organizing female workers, young workers, and visible minority workers?
Why do you think that unions have paid relatively little attention to organizing older workers, or to addressing their workplace concerns?
This chapter identifies some of the techniques that unions have used in organizing diverse work forces and occupations that have historically had low rates of unionization. Can you think of other
Explain some of the difficulties in applying traditional labour relations processes to telecommuting.
How do traditional forms of organizational structure distribute power and authority?
Why are newer forms of organizational structure a challenge to traditional union-employer relationships?
After reading the discussion of the future of Canadian industrial relations, what do you think will happen to the Canadian industrial relations system, and why do you think that will happen? Can you
Choose a union that you are familiar with or that you can research. (You can select either a local of a union or a union as a whole, although this exercise may be easier to conduct if you select a
Using the information in this chapter and whatever additional material you can acquire, describe the history of industrial relations in your province or geographic area. You may want to address
Choose a union that you are familiar with or that you can research. Using Figure 4-1 as a guide, draw a diagram of the relationships that this union has with other organizations within the Canadian
Choose a labour organization or federation, such as a labour council or provincial or centralized labour federation, in your region of the country. Describe how that organization is structured,
The union and the employer agreed on the following set of facts.Lucky Resort operates a casino, a golf course, a hotel, and four restaurants at its facility, which is open year-round. The operations
Hamill College was founded in the 1920s. It is a postsecondary institution which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, academic upgrading programs, and diploma and certifi cate career
Happy Coffee is a franchised café that has been open for just over a year. It operates seven days a week, from 7 am to 10:30 pm.On May 30, the union filed an application for certification of a
Meter Services was contracted by the provincial power utility at the end of last year to conduct readings of power meters at customers’ homes. Meter Services began the work at the start of this
Overseas News is a daily newspaper published in Chinese, covering local and international news. Its operations are located in a major Canadian urban centre.Last spring, the Journalists Union
The City Workers Union and the town of Smallville have a collective agreement that covers all of the town’s employees. Since the bargaining unit was certified nearly a decade ago, the town and the
The workplace in this situation is a casino. The casino employees have been unionized for the past decade. Initially they were represented by a small independent union, but three years ago that union
The Wright College faculty union represents approximately 70 faculty members and librarians, including permanent and sessional (temporary) employees. The last collective agreement ran for three years
The Teaching Assistants Union at Civic University represents teaching assistants, markers, and sessional (contract) instructors. It also represents instructors in two programs offered by the
The Sports Club is a private club with facilities for seven different sports, and also has a general fitness training area. The club’s premises include a lounge and a restaurant, and a space that
The bargaining relationship between the employer and its workers had existed for six years. A first collective agreement was negotiated a year after the union was certified, but despite its
All three parties have agreed on the basic facts of the case.Quinton, a registered practical nurse, worked at Restful Care Home, where the employees were members of a local of the Provincial
Central University (CU) opened its law school in September 2011. The law school is the only part of the university offering a graduate-level professional degree. A group of the law school’s faculty
Tim Bell is a percussionist who has been a member of the Performers Union for the past decade. Eight years ago, he was hired by City Opera as a percussionist/timpanist, and was appointed Principal
Old Motors and New Motors are car dealerships that operate in the same community. Although they sell different brands and styles of cars, they are both affiliated with the same auto manufacturer. The
On April 16, Robert Dion filed an application for decertification of the Builders Union local at Careful Contracting. The union did not fi le a reply to the application, but the employer did. The
The Provincial Friendship Centre had a contract with Health Canada, a division of the federal government, to provide a childhood education program to First Nations children in its area. The contract
Pinetree Lodge is a residence for elderly individuals who can no longer live on their own. The Residence Employees Union (REU) represents the 80 workers employed at Pinetree. On June 10, as required
Explain what you, at this point in the course, see as the benefits and drawbacks of a unionized workplace, both for the workers and for the employer. As in the previous exercise, compare your
Why is it important to have both certification and decertification processes available to workers?
Name and describe some of the criteria that labour relations boards might use in determining whether successor-ship has occurred.
Why might employers be tempted to use expansion or relocation of their operations as a tactic to avoid the effects of unionization?
What is “med-arb”?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of grievance mediation.
What is meant by “expedited arbitration”?
Explain the disadvantages of the traditional grievance arbitration process.
Describe how an arbitration hearing is conducted.
What are the different “standards of proof” used in arbitration, and when would each apply?
What does it mean to have the “procedural onus” in an arbitration case?
At an arbitration hearing, why would the employer or the union raise preliminary objections?
Outline and explain the steps in a typical grievance procedure.
Define and give examples of the different types of grievances.
Why would either an industrial inquiry commission or a disputes inquiry board be established? When might one be used in preference to the other?
When do parties have the option of choosing conciliation, mediation, or arbitration?
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using total-package final offer selection and item-by-item final offer selection.
Why is the CLC called the “union of unions”?
Discuss the role of democracy in the formation and operation of unions in Canada.
What is the role of the CLC in resolving disputes between affiliated members?
Explain why there are several centralized labour federations in Quebec.
Why are international affiliations becoming more important to Canadian unions?
Why would an employee’s family background influence whether an employee would want a union in his or her workplace?
What factors in the workplace are likely to cause the kind of dissatisfaction that would lead to unionization?
Outline the steps in an organizing campaign.
Explain why most provincial labour codes require a minimum level of support among workers for a certification application to be filed.
A small group of clerical workers who are employed in the administrative office of a large manufacturing plant want to form a union. Identify and discuss the considerations that would be raised in
What are the factors to consider in determining who is an employee? What factors should be considered in deciding who is a manager?
If workers at a franchise operation want to unionize, who would be named as the employer, and why?
Under what circumstances might a representation vote not be required for certification?
How does labour legislation balance the employee’s right to join a union with the employer’s right to free speech during an organizing campaign?
Why does most Canadian labour law restrict the times when certification applications can be filed?
A maintenance and cleaning company employs many immigrants who are not fluent in English. After a certification application has been fi led, the company manager calls each employee in for an
Why are some unions philosophically opposed to raiding?
Explain the difference between “balance of probabilities” and “beyond a reasonable doubt,” and outline how these concepts are relevant to the issue of unfair labour practices.
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of being represented by a union whose primary membership was in an industry or occupation different from yours?
Why is it important to give labour relations boards a wide range of options in issuing remedies for unfair labour practices?
Most Canadian labour codes require that a collective agreement be a minimum of one year in length. Why do you think this requirement exists?
Despite the fact that collective bargaining is one of the most important activities in labour relations, labour relations legislation concentrates mostly on establishing the conditions under which
Identify the members of the union’s and the employer’s bargaining teams, and discuss the reasons for each member’s participation.
Why do labour codes generally require that wages and working conditions remain frozen during collective bargaining?
An employer presents an initial offer to a union and then makes minimal changes in response to the union’s concerns. Is this bargaining in good faith? Why or why not?
Why is the issue of bargaining in good faith particularly important in negotiations for a first collective agreement?
What is the reason for giving labour relations boards the power to impose a first collective agreement?
If a first collective agreement is imposed, what effects might this event have on future negotiations for collective agreements?
Outline the stages of union-management negotiations.
What are the four subprocesses identified by Walton and McKersie?
Explain the link between bargaining stages and bargaining subprocesses.
Why is the zone of agreement important in negotiations?
The bargaining power of both sides is affected by a number of factors. Identify the factors that affect management’s and the union’s bargaining power.
Mutual gains bargaining is based on four principles. Identify these principles and explain what difference they make in the way a negotiation process is conducted.
What criteria can be used to assess the cost of disputes in negotiations?
Why would a union choose to engage in a work-to-rule campaign or a rotating strike rather than a fullscale strike?
Identify some of the individual and situational factors that might determine whether a strike or lockouthappens.
Explain why a union would take a strike vote when it had no immediate intention of actually going on strike.
Why might advance notice be required before a strike or lockout begins?
Labour codes have general rules that regulate picketing. Explain why labour boards often have to make situation-specific rulings on picketing activity.
Outline the arguments for and against the use of replacement workers.
Does Canada deserve its reputation as a strike-prone country? Discuss.

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