Chapter 10

Question 1

184

What are the three primary components that define (boundaries) the fire officer’s supervisory activities?

Answer 1

1. Local labor contract
2. Municipality’s personnel regulations
3. Fire departments rules, regulations, and procedures

Question 2

184
Where are memorandum of understandings (MOU) used as a legal agreement between labor organization in the local jurisdiction?

Answer 2

Where government employees do not have formal collective bargaining rights.

Question 3

184

Collective bargaining

Answer 3

A method whereby representatives of employee unions and employers determine the conditions of employment through direct negotiations.

Question 4

184

Shop steward

Answer 4

The union member who is appointed or elected to be the first line of labor representation at the workplace. The shop steward is a member of a workforce whose received additional training in labor relations.

Question 5

185

What is the largest fire service labor organization in the United States?

Answer 5

International Association of Firefighters IAFF

300,000 firefighter and emergency services personnel in the United States and Canada est. 1918

Question 6

185
Key recommendations that form the foundation of any strong supervisor/employee relationship between fire officer and a firefighter: (4)

Answer 6

1. Scheduling regular one-on-one meetings w/ each member. Establishes connection/trust, discuss job performance, expectations on both parts.
2. Scheduling regular company meetings. Discuss new policies, concerns, etc. Keeping Open communication critical effective supervisor & employee relationship.
3. Disagreements, work together, articulate concern, develop solutions
4. Deteriorating relationship, start by listing areas you can succeed together. Set goals and deadlines. Are goals positive for whole company?

… neutral 3rd party to help mediate?

Question 7

187

What is the root cause of almost every labor disturbance?

Answer 7

Failure to manage the relationship between labor and management properly. Labor management relationship moving from confrontational towards cooperative often through mediation.

Question 8

187

Mediation

Answer 8

Mediation is the intervention of a neutral third-party in an industrial dispute.

Question 9

187

Grievance

Answer 9

A grievance is a dispute, claim, or complaint that any employee or group of employees may have about their interpretation, application, or alleged violation of some provision of the labor agreement/personal regulations.

Question 10

188

Grievance procedure

Answer 10

Formal structure process that is employed within an organization to resolve the grievance. The grievance procedure should specify the sequential process and a timeline to move through the steps.

Question 11

189

Concerning a grievance procedure what should the objective always be

Answer 11

The objective should always be to resolve the problem at the lowest possible level and shortest possible time.

Question 12

189

The ability to resolve problems at a low level is an indication of ____?

Answer 12

Indication of a healthy organization with a good labor-management relationship. The opposite is true as well.

Question 13

189

Informal grievance

Answer 13

The grievant presents complaint verbally to supervisor shortly after its occurrence.

Question 14

189

When a grievant presents an informal grievance what three pieces of information should also be presented?

Answer 14

1. Article and section of labor agreement/personnel regulation alleged to have been violated.
2. . Of the grievance, giving facts, dates, and time of events.
3. Statement of the desired remedy or adjustment

Question 15

189

At what point during a grievance procedure does the grievance go from informal to formal?

Answer 15

The second step. The employee may prepare and submit a written grievance, supervisor has 10 calendar days to reach a decision and provide reply to grievant.

Question 16

190
What four pieces of federal legislation have established the groundwork for the rules and regulations of present collective bargaining systems?

Answer 16

1. Norris- LaGuardia Act of 1932
2. Wagner-Connery Act 1935
3. Taft- Hartley Labor Act of 1947
4. Landrum-Griffin Act 1959

Question 17

191

Norris – LaGuardia Act of 1932

Answer 17

Employee could not be forced into a signing a pledge to not join a union as part of obtaining and keeping a job.

Question 18

191

Yellow dog contracts

Answer 18

Contract worker signed as a condition of employment, pledging they would not join a union.

Question 19

191

National Industrial Recovery Act

Answer 19

President Franklin Roosevelt took steps to bolster economic growth during Great Depression. One of his initiatives National Industrial Recovery Act NIRA guaranteed unions the right to collective bargaining as part of an effort to keep wages at a level that would maintain purchasing power of the worker.

Question 20

191

Wagner- Connery Act of 1935

Answer 20

Establish the procedures that are commonly called collective bargaining. It grants workers the right to decide, by majority vote, which organization will represent them at the labor – management bargaining table. Requires management to bargain with duly elected union representatives and outlaws yellow dog contracts.

Question 21

191

Great strike wave of 1933 - 1934

Answer 21

Labor organized citywide strikes and factory takeovers in numerous industrial sections. In response to ongoing unfair labor practices after National Industrial Recovery Act NIRA was overturned. ended by the Wagner- Connery Act of 1935

Question 22

191

What were the five types of unfair labor practices declared illegal by Wagner-Connery Act 1935? (5)

Answer 22

1. Interfering with employees in a union
2. Stopping the union from forming and collecting money
3. Not hiring union members
4. Firing union members
5. Refusing to bargain with the union

Question 23

191

Taft-Hartley Labor Act 1947 (4)

Answer 23

Taft-Hartley

1. gave workers right from refraining from joining the union
2. applied unfair labor practice provisions to unions as well as employers.
3. Prohibited union from forcing management to fire antiunion/nonunion workers.
4. Unions required to engage in good faith bargaining, and 60 day cool off period was created.

Question 24

191

When does a 60 day cool off period come into effect?

Answer 24

When a labor agreement in’s without a new contract

Question 25

191

Was the most significant provision of Taft Hartley from the perspective of firefighters?

Answer 25

“Strikes during a national emergency” In the event of an imminent strike could affect a major part of an industry and imperil the health and safety of the nation the president is granted certain powers to help settle disputes. such as ordering employees back to work, compel arbitration, provide economic judicial/political pressure to achieve resolution of the dispute.

Question 26

191

Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959 (2)

Answer 26

1. Established a Bill of Rights for members of labor organizations. Required unions file an annual report listing the assets of the organization as well as names and assets of every officer and employee.
2. Minimum election requirements are mandated as were duties and responsibility of union officials and officers.

Question 27

192

Executive order #10988

Answer 27

Executive order issued by Pres. John F. Kennedy granting federal employees the right to bargain collectively under restricted rules.

Question 28

192

Right to work

Answer 28

In states with right to work worker cannot be compelled as a condition of employment to join or pay dues to labor union.

Question 29

192
Open shops
Closed shops

Answer 29

Open shops- provided the worker with the option of remaining outside the union.

Closed shops- worker must be a member of a particular union to work for the company.

Question 30

192

Where was the first fully paid fire department in the United States?

Answer 30

1853 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Question 31

193
The potential impact of a strike on public safety is so severe that many states prohibit firefighters from walking out. In many cases in which fire service strikes have occurred the public and media have question labor’s right to strike as_____.

Answer 31

A matter of ethics

Question 32

194

Firefighter strikes 1918- 1921

Answer 32

Most of the firefighter strikes were efforts to establish a two platoon system, obtain more pay, or simply gain the right to form labor organization recognized by the city.

Question 33

194

Firefighter strikes 1931- 1933

Answer 33

In reaction to wage reduction and elimination of firefighter jobs

Question 34

194

Firefighter strikes 1973- 1980

Answer 34

Most of the strikes occurred after labor and management reached an impasse while negotiating a new contract. None of the strikes resulted in a net gain for organized labor.

Question 35

194

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Answer 35

The primary purpose of FLSA was to establish minimum standards for wages and spell administrative procedures covering work time and compensation, including overtime entitlement. FLSA requires overtime to be paid at 1.5x.

Question 36

195
Under revised federal regulations, public safety agencies do not have to pay firefighters over time until they have worked ____ hours and a maximum ____ cycle-which averages out to a 53 hour work week.

Answer 36

212 hours

28 day cycle

Question 37

195

Political action committee PAC

Answer 37

Special interest group that can solicit funding and lobby local and national elected officials on the half of its cause. FIREPAC promotes the legislative and political interests of the IAFF