Required information

Skip to question

Effective Labor Relations

Laws and rules set forth by various government agencies play a key role in unions' influence and bargaining power. These laws and regulations also set limits on how unions and management interact. The National Labor Relations Act, and many government rulings that followed it$,$ govern the actions that both unions and employers may take in dealing with employees and with each other.

In this case, you will read about Ashley Johnson, the HR manager at Northern Widget Inc. Ashley has recently been informed that union organizers have approached a number of the company's employees about the possibility of joining a union. The case will describe a number of approaches Ashley could take in dealing with this organizing drive.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

No sooner had Ashley Johnson, HR manager at Northern Widget Inc., a fictional manufacturing company, started her computer on Monday morning when she saw an urgent email from one of the floor supervisors. Apparently, an employee had told the supervisor that union organizers had called him at home the previous night. The organizers said that a major campaign to organize Northern Widget's employees was starting within the next few days; they appealed for the employee's support. Ashley knew that the CEO was opposed to union representation for Northern Widget's employees and that she would be expected to devise and implement a plan to deal with this situation. She knew that wages at Northern were slightly below local competing companies; she thought that perhaps a wage increase would help reduce support for the union. However, she didn't know what employees she should target with her efforts. Would maintenance engineers, electricians, and supervisors become part of the union's organization effort? She had never experienced a union organizing drive, and she wondered what the union would do to try to organize workers in the plant.

Which of the following is Ashley not permitted to do because it would be an unfair labor practice?

Multiple Choice

Require employees to attend meetings explaining why they should vote against the union.

Offer a pay increase if the employees refuse to join the union.

Ask employees to meet one$-$on$-$one with supervisors.

Hire an attorney to advise Northern on strategy.

Accommodate special circumstances when appropriate.