Chapter 8 - Organized Labor and the Fire Officer Flashcards
Arbitration
Resolution of a dispute by a mediator or a group rather than a court of law
Collective Bargaining
Method whereby representatives of employees (unions) and employers determine the conditions of employment through direct negotiation
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Federal legislation passed in 1938 that provides the minimum standards for both wages and overtime entitlement and spells out administrative procedures by which covered work time must be compensated
Good Faith Bargaining
Both parties are required to meet regularly to bargain collectively for wages, hours, and other conditions of employment
Grievance
A dispute, claim, or complaint that any employee or group of employees may have in relation to the interpretation, application, and/or alleged violation of some provision of the labor agreement or personnel regulations
Grievance Procedure
A formal structured process that is employed within an organization to resolve a grievance.
Impasse
A situation in which the parties in a dispute have reached a deadlock in negotiations
Mediation
The intervention of a neutral third party in an industrial dispute
Negotiation
Mutual discussion and arrangement of the terms of an agreement
Political Action Committee (PAC)
An organization formed by corporations, unions, and other interest groups that solicits campaign contributions from private individuals and distributes these funds to political candidates
Right To Work
A worker cannot be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join or to pay dues to a labor union
Shop Steward
A union member appointed to be the first line of labor representation at the workplace
Strike
A concerted act by a group of employees who withhold their labor for the purposes of effecting a change in wages, hours, or working conditions
Unfair Labor Practices
Usually employer’s efforts to avoid bargaining in good faith that is forbidden by the National Labor Relations Board
Yellow Dog Contracts
Pledges that employers required workers to sign indicating that they would not join a union as long as the company employed them
Concept
Wages, working conditions, and many other aspects of the work environment are directly influenced by labor-management relations
Recommendations of any strong supervisor/employee relationship
Regular one-on-one meetings
Regular meetings with the company as a whole
If a disagreement arises, working together to articulate the concern and to develop possible solutions
Working together to improve rocky relationships
When can an employee contact a union rep to discuss a situation?
Any time
Four major pieces of federal legislation for the collective bargaining system
Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 made Yellow Dog Contracts unenforceable
Wagner-Connery Act of 1935 established collective bargaining
Taft-Hartley Labor Act of 1947 established good faith bargaining and a 60 day “cooling off” period
Landrum-Griffin Act established a bill of rights for members of labor organizations
Concept
Federal legislation passed in 1912 prohibits federal employees from striking
Strike Concept
The negative public reaction to strikes, the political response of changing legislation, and the lasting legacy of lost trust have caused fire fighter strikes to be viewed as counterproductive
