Untitled Flashcards Set

  1. How do the issues that concerned the early craft unions before and during the Industrial Revolution issues compare with modern day issues? 

Craft unions were developed to discuss work issues like pay, hours, conditions, and job security. The industrial revolution led to changes of problems for workers in areas of productivity. Today job security and union recognition - just like craft unions. However also concerned with global competition, drug testing, benefits, workplace violence of employee, stock ownership. 


  1. Five major pieces of legislation which have had an impact on the development of labor unions are:

    1. Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1832

    2. National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act)

    3. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

    4. Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Act)

    5. Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act)


Identify which act is being discussed in each of the following:

  1. Texas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas and 17 other states have passed right-to-work laws under this act. Taft hartley

  2. The AFL-CIO and Teamsters file financial reports every year with the U.S. Department of Labor. landrum griffin 

  3. Union members picketed the Price Chopper grocery stores to protest the stores’ use of non-union labor. Wagner act 

  4. A retail store in Michigan is prevented from getting an injunction against a worker who is trying to organize a union. Norris laguardia 

  5. Workers at a General Motors plant in Ohio went on strike, forcing closings at another plant that needed parts supplied by the striking plant. Wagner act 

  6. A grocery store in Illinois carries products produced by a company the AFL-CIO is striking.  Under this law, the AFL-CIO cannot call for a boycott of the grocery store. Taft hartley 

  7. Voter fraud was alleged in the election of a UAW union official, and is being investigated.landrum griffin 

  8. In an attempt to avoid a strike, union and management officials in the aeronautical industry begin negotiating a year in advance of the end of the current contract. Wagner act 

  9. In July, 2009 the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25 an hour. Fair labor standards act 


  1. There are four types of union agreements.

Closed shop Union shop

Agency shop Open shop

Identify each of the following:

  1. When Tom Oswalt worked in an automotive factory for the summer in Michigan, he chose not to join the local union.  However, he was still required to pay a fee to the union under a union-security clause. Agency 

  2. After the Wagner Act was passed, unions sought security with this type of agreement.  With passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, however, these types of shops were made illegal. Closed 

  3. When Peter Tobler went to work at Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas, he was not required to join the union, and did not have to pay any fees to the union. open

  4. Gary Reese took a job with the Saint Louis plant of InBev-Anheuser-Busch in August.  He waited until October to join the union. Union 


  1. In the past, members of various unions have mounted campaigns to persuade consumers not to shop at WalMart, because WalMart does not use union labor. Primary boycotts 

  2. When contract negotiations broke down, the owners of the national hockey clubs refused to allow players to play, and delayed the start of the season by several weeks. Lockout

  3. While the hockey players were being prevented from working, the baseball players were refusing to work! Strike 

  4. In order to start a season anyway, the baseball club owners hired replacement players, bringing many up from the minor leagues. Strikebreakers 

  5. During a strike against producers, members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada attempted to raise public awareness and sympathy for their cause by gathering outside Broadway theaters in New York City carrying signs outlining their grievances. Secondary boycotts 

  6. To prevent a sympathy strike by its machinists, United Airlines obtained a court order making it illegal for the machinists to strike during a strike by the flight attendants. Injunction

  7. Although it is illegal, the employees of an airline threatened this action against the railways in sympathy with the railroad workers. Secondary boycotts 


  1. What justifications can you state for the high level of executive pay in the United States?

Helps retain top talent, company success, and maximize shareholder value. High compensation attracts high and better talent. 

  1. What are the negative aspects of the high level of executive pay in the United States?

This can lead to an increase in income inequality with the executives earning a lot more than the average worker. This can also encourage short-term decision-making focused on stock price and not long-term company health. 



  1. The issue of pay equity centers on comparing the value of jobs traditionally held by women with the value of jobs traditionally held by men.  What do comparisons of “men’s jobs” with “women’s jobs” show?  How are things changing?

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires companies to give equal pay to men and women who do the same job. For example, it’s illegal to pay a female nurse less than a male nurse unless factors such as seniority, merit pay, or performance incentives are involved. But pay equity goes beyond the concept of equal pay for equal work; it says people in jobs that require similar levels of education, training, or skills should receive equal pay.26 Pay equity compares the value of a job like a hair stylist or librarian (traditionally women’s jobs) with jobs like a plumber or truck driver (traditionally men’s jobs). Now In the United States today, women earn 79 percent of what men earn, although the disparity varies by profession, job experience and tenure, and level of education


  1. As more women have entered the workforce, the issue of sexual harassment has become increasingly visible.  What are the problems surrounding this issue, and what are companies doing about it?

Managers and workers are now much more sensitive to sexual comments and behavior than they were in the past. some states have taken the lead. California and Connecticut require all companies with 50 employees or more to provide sexual harassment prevention training to supervisors. Maine requires such training for companies with 15 or more employees. Most states require sexual harassment training only for employees in the government sector


  1. What are the current issues surrounding the following topics?:

    1. Child care

absences related to child care cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars annually, and (2) the issue of who should pay for employee child care raises a question that often divides employees


  1. Eldercare 

spending accounts in which employees can put aside pretax income for elder care expenses. However, the number of companies offering elder care benefits still lags behind the number offering child care benefits and small businesses lag considerably behind large companies in providing elder care benefits. Unfortunately, the government does not provide much relief. Both Medicare and Medicaid place heavy financial burdens for care on family caregivers.


  1. Drug testing

Individuals who use illegal drugs are three and a half times more likely to be in work-

place accidents and five times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim than other Employees (questonable effectiveness in how testing improves safety or productivity) 

  1. Violence in the workplace ​​

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nearly 2 million Americans are impacted by workplace violence annually.60 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that homicides account for 8 percent of all work-place deaths and are the number one cause of death for women in the workplace. In fact, 19 percent of women’s death in the workplace is from homicide