Employee & Labor Relations

Question 1

Method of nonbinding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision; also called conciliation.

Answer 1

Mediation

Question 2

Action taken in support of another union that is striking the employer.

Answer 2

Sympathy strike

Question 3

Orderly way to resolve differences of opinion.

Answer 3

Grievance procedure

Question 4

Ownership of innovation by an individual or business enterprise; includes patented, trademarked, or copyrighted property

Answer 4

Intellectual property (IP)

Question 5

Groups that represent employees, generally on a local or organizational level, for the primary purpose of receiving from employers and conveying to employees information about the workforce and the health of the enterprise.

Answer 5

Works councils

Question 6

Positioning of employees at a place of work targeted for the action for the purpose of protest.

Answer 6

Picketing

Question 7

Principle of employment in the U.S. that employers have the right to hire, fire, demote, and promote whomever they choose for any reason unless there is a law or contract to the contrary and that employees have the right to quit a job at any time.

Answer 7

Employment at-will

Question 8

Common form of post-employment agreement, especially in knowledge industries, in which employee agrees not to discuss knowledge gained during employment.

Answer 8

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

Question 9

Violation of employee rights; act prohibited under labor relations statutes.

Answer 9

Unfair labor practice (ULP)

Question 10

Common form of post-employment agreement that prevents employee from leaving to work for one of employer’s competitors.

Answer 10

Non-compete agreement (NCA)

Question 11

Method of nonbinding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision; also called mediation

Answer 11

Conciliation

Question 12

Work stoppages at union contract operations that have not been sanctioned by the union.

Answer 12

Wildcat strike

Question 13

Broad statement that reflects an organization’s philosophy, objectives, or standards concerning a particular set of management or employee activities

Answer 13

Policy

Question 14

Attempt by a union to influence an employer by putting pressure on another employer, for example, a supplier.

Answer 14

Secondary action

Question 15

Various forms of collective employee actions taken to protest work conditions or employer actions.

Answer 15

Industrial actions

Question 16

Form of corrective discipline that implements increasingly severe penalties for employees.

Answer 16

Constructive discipline

Question 17

Refusal by workers to work; also refusal by workers to leave their workstations, making it impossible for the employer to use replacement workers.

Answer 17

Sit-down strike

Question 18

Umbrella term for the various approaches and techniques, other than litigation, that can be used to resolve a dispute.

Answer 18

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

Question 19

Action of an employer to shut down operations to prevent employees from working.

Answer 19

Lockout

Question 20

Group of workers who coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called labor union.

Answer 20

Trade union

Question 21

Form of corporate governance that requires a typical management board and a supervisory board and that allows management and employees to participate in strategic decision making.

Answer 21

Codetermination

Question 22

Agreement that requires specific contractors to accept certain conditions in project contracts, such as paying a fair wage and contributing to health insurance, pension, and training funds.

Answer 22

Project labor agreement (PLA)

Question 23

Process by which management and union representatives negotiate the employment conditions for a particular bargaining unit for a designated period of time

Answer 23

Collective bargaining

Question 24

Method of dispute resolution by which disputing parties agree to be bound by the decision of one or more impartial persons to whom they submit their dispute for final determination.

Answer 24

Arbitration

Question 25

Group of workers who coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called trade union.

Answer 25

Labor union

Question 26

Situation in which workers slow processes by performing tasks exactly to specifications or according to job or task descriptions.

Answer 26

Work-to-rule

Question 27

a neutral party with limited powers; he or she cannot negotiate for one party

Answer 27

ombudsperson

An ombudsperson is a neutral party with limited powers; he or she cannot negotiate for one party. The ombudsperson can investigate the dispute, establish facts, and refer the matter, along with the evidence, to management or to other forms of ADR. The ombudsperson cannot impose a decision or refer the matter for outside litigation.

Question 28

the right of workers to join (or not join) an organization of their choosing without prior authorization by their employer.

Answer 28

Freedom of association