Industrial Relations Flashcards
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
resolving disputes without going to court
Apprenticeship
a process in which trainees learn a trade under the supervision of senior trades person
Arbitration
A quasi-judicial process whereby a neutral third party makes a final and binding determine on all outstanding issues in dispute
Article
a section of a collective agreement
attitudinal structuring
the difficult process of building the mutual respect and trust necessary for an enduring and positive collective bargaining relationship
back-to-work legislation
legislation requiring that strike action cease and employees return to work
balanced scorecard
using multiple measures to assess a firm’s effectiveness
bargaining unit
the group of employees in an organization that are eligible to be represented by a union
base pay
the part of pay that is solely based on time worked
bottom line - BATNA
the minimum position necessary in negotiations to avoid a strike or lockout; it represents for the union the best possible outcome short of a strike
bumping
a process whereby senior employees pass on their layoff to more junior employees
business unionism
unionism that focuses on improving wages and the working conditions of its members
certification
recognition of a union by a labour board after completion of the procedures under the labour act
chilling effect
the lack of bargaining flexibility caused by the parties’ fear that a concession made negotiations will reduce the arbitration outcome
clause
a specific section of an article
closed shop
a form of union security in which membership in the union is a condition of employment
collective agreement
a written document outlining the terms and conditions of employment in a unionized workplace
collective bargaining
the process by which management and labour negotiate the terms and conditions of employment in a unionized workplace
collective bargaining coverage
a statistic that represents all of the employees, both union and nonunion, covered by a collective agreement as a percentage of the labour force; it is always a larger number than union density, because union density excludes nonunion employees
collective voice
the ability of group or union to express concerns
committee on freedom of association (CFA)
a special committee established by the ILO in 1951 to examine cases of labour rights violations
company union
a union that a company helped create
contract zone
exists if each side’s bottom line overlaps; in other words, to avoid a strike or lockout, management will offer more and the union will accept less than the point where their negotiating positions intersect
conventional interest arbitration
interest arbitration where the arbitration can choose among the proposals or fashion one of his or her own
conversion mechanisms
the processes used to convert inputs into outputs of the industrial relations system
corrective action
a warning process designed to improve employee performance or behaviour
craft or occupational unionism
unions that typically allow into membership only trades or occupations that are in the same family of skills
Crown coporations
corporations owned by the government
cupable
at fault, guilty
defined benefit
a type of pension plan that guarantees a specific payout
deregulation
a policy designed to create more competition in an industry by allowing prices to be determined by market forces
disposable income
income after taxes and benefits from social programs
distributive bargaining
a form of negotiations in which two parties compete over the distribution of some fixed resources
distributive justice
employees perception of fairness in the outcomes of workplace decision
dues check-off
a process whereby union dues are deducted automatically from pay
duty of fair representation
a legal obligation on the union’s part to represent all employees equally and in a nondiscriminatory manner
elasticity of supply (demand)
the labour responsiveness of supply (demand) caused by a change in the wage rate; for example, if a small increase in wages causes large increase in the supply of labour, the supply curve is to be elastic
Employee Assistance Program
a counselling service available to employees
employee relations
the study of the employment relationship between employers and individual employees, usually is nonunion settings
employee value chain
a belief that organizational effectiveness
employment equity
equity in employment levels and opportunities between targeted community, groups and major employers
employment relations
the study of employment relationships and issues in union and nonunion workplaces
exchange rate
the value of one country’s currency relative to another country’s currency
exclusive jurisdiction
what exists when a single union represents all workers of a trade or occupational grouping
exclusivity principle
the idea that a union is granted the sole right to represent all employees in the defined bargaining unit
explicit reference
equity clause in collective agreements that specifies which groups are covered
feedback loop
the mechanism by which outputs of the industrial relations system flow back to the external environment
final-offer arbitration
interest arbitration in which the arbitration in which the arbitration must choose one of the parties’ proposals
first agreement arbitration
arbitration that determines the first collective agreement
gain sharing
a group performance pay that is based on firm productivity gains
goal
that which a person seeks to obtain or achieve
good faith bargaining
an obligation on union and management to make a serious attempt to reach a settlement
Great Depression
a period significant economic downturn resulting from the stock market crash of 1929
great recession
a serious downtown in economy around late 2008 chracterized by very low or negative growth and high unemployment triggered by the financial collapse in 2007, the worst since the the Great Depression of the 1930’s
grievance
a formal complaint that a specific clause in the collective agreement has been violated
grievance mediation
a voluntary nonbinding process whereby a neutral third party examines the grievance
gross national product
the value of all goods and services produced by a country in a year
high-performance work practice
comprehensive human resources strategies designed to improve the effectiveness of the organization
hiring hall
a union-run centre that refers union labour to job sites as requested by firms
human relations
a managerial view that believes that effective management practices can minimize the conflict between managers and employees
human resources
the study of the employment relationship between employers and individual employees
indirect pay (or benefits)
anything that an employer pays for, to the benefit of the employee, that is not part of base or performance pay
industrial dispute
a disagreement arising from entering into, renewing, or revising a collective agreement
industrial relations
the study of employment relationships and issues, often in unionized workplaces
industrial unionism
a type of inclusive unionism that represents a broad range of skills and occupations
industrial unions
unions that organize all workers of an industry/workplace regardless of trade
inflation
the increase in prices over time
institutionalists
those susbscribing to the theory that the operation of labour markets requires a knowledge and understanding of such social organizations as unions, nongovernmental community organizations and international institutions
integrative bargaining
a form of bargaining in which there is potential for a solution that produces a mutual gain; also called a win-win bargaining, principled negotiations, and interest-based bargaining
intention to quit
a survey measure that assesses the likelihood that an employee will quit
interest arbitration
an arbitration that determines terms and conditions of the collective agreement while its being negotiated
interest-based bargaining (IBB)
a cooperative form of bargaining in which the parties focus more on the interests of the parties and not the exaggerated positions
interest rate
the rate a bank charges for borrowing money
international labour organization
a tripartite agency of the united nations with the mandate to establish
intra-team bargaining
bargaining within union and management teams during the collective bargaining process; individual union team members, for example, may represent a group with particular interests, such as shift workers
job analysis
a process whereby the key competencies for a job are identified
job evaluation
a process whereby the firm determines the value of a job
job satisfaction
an employee’s assessment of his or her job experience
jurisprudence
past decisions
labour relations
the study of employment relationships and issues between groups of employees (usually in unions) and management; also known as union-management relations
legislative reference
equity clause in collective agreements that references legislation
letter of understanding
letter between the parties usually places at the end of an agreement and describing a specific practice they have agreed to follow
lockout
a work stoppage invoked by management
macroeconomic policy
a policy that applies to economy-wide goals, such as inflation, unemployment and growth
mandatory retirement
a requirement that employees retire at age 65
master-servant relationship
the essence of the common-law employment relationship pertaining to nonunion workplaces; employment relationships in which employees have few rights
mediation
a dispute-resolution process in which a neutral third party acts as a facilitator
meta-analysis
a statistical technique that looks for trends across many studies
mitigation factors
factors argued by the union for a reduction in a sanction
monopoly effect
the union’s ability to raise wages above nonunion rates
monopsony
occurs when a firm is the sole markets buyer of a good service or labour
multi-skill training
training to provide employees with a variety of skills, some of which may not normally be part of their job
narcotic or dependency effect
a result of frequent use of arbitration that may cause parties to lose the ability to freely negotiate settlements without third-party assistance
neoclassical economics view
a view of industrial relations grounded in economics that sees unions as an artificial barrier to the free market
new model unionism
the movement to trade unions
new public management
a new approach to public administration in which public organizations are to become more decentralized, market driven, and concerned with financial control, and managers more empowered and performance oriented
non standard work arrangements
work arrangements that differ from the norm in terms of employment term, location, schedule, hours of work or pay
nonunion representation
occurs when a group of nonunion employees meets with management regarding employment terms and conditions
organizational commitment
an employees commitment to the organization
organizational justice
employees perception of fair treatment at work
participative management
processes that ensure employee participation in workplace decisions
pay equity
women and men being paid relatively equally for work of equal value
P.C. 1003
the Canadian government imported the Wagner Act model in 1944; under the War measures Act, it was introduced by the Privy Council as P.C. 1003
performance pay
the part of pay that is based on output or performance
pluralist and institutional view
a view of industrial relations stressing the importance of institutions and multiple actors in the employment relationship
political economy
a view of industrial relations grounded in socialism and Marxism that stresses the role of inherent conflict between labour and management
political nonpartisanship
a belief that unions should not be aligned with any political party
power
the ability to make someone agree to your terms
prima facia case
union establishes, at arbitration, the the collective agreement was in place and that the grievor was employed, covered by that agreement and disciplined
privatization
the transfer or contracting out of services to the private sector
probationary period
a short period of time after an employee is hired in which he or she is not fully protected by a union
procedural justice
employees’ perception of fairness in workplace procedures
profit sharing
a group performance pay that is based on firm profits
public good
an item whose consumption does not reduce the amount available for others
public sector or social justice unionism
unions of public-sector employees at all three levels of government: local, provincial, and federal; typically advocates of a philosophy of social justice
pyramiding
compounding premiums or benefits
Rand Formula
a union security provision in which employees do not have to join the union but all employees must pay dues
ratification
the process by which each party approves the settlement reached at the bargaining tables by the management and union teams
recall
the process by which a laid off employee gets rehired
recruitment
techniques designed to make potential employees aware of job openings
red-circling
protecting employees’ pay at a level high than the normal rate of their current job
residual rights
a principle whereby management retains all rights it held before unionization except those changed by the agreement
rights arbitration (grievance)
arbitration concerning alleged violations of the collective agreement
same-sex beenfits
same-sex partners receiving the same benefits as opposite sex-partners
scientific management
the application of engineering principles to define specific task in the production process thereby removing the autonomy of skilled craft workers
seniority
the length of time a person has been a member of the union
shock effect
occurs when increased costs and protection shock management into stricter management practices
Snider Case
a landmark court case in 1925 that determined that labour matters fell under the purview of the provinces under the British North America Act
socialist unionism
unionism that challenges capitalism and seeks equity for union and nonunion members
socio-technical systems design
systems of new technology in which workers are complements to, not simply extensions of, technology; in which participation, communication, and collaboration are encouraged through an accommodative organizational structure; and in which individual workers achieve control through shared responsibility and minimal supervision
spillover effect
a belief that increases in union wages result in decreases in nonunion wages
strategic choice framework
a view that emphasizes the role of management and strategies in the industrial relations system
strategies
processes developed and implemented to achieve goals
strike
an action by workers in which they cease to perform duties and do not report to work; a work stoppage invoked by an union
super seniority
the status of union representatives who, while in office, have the highest seniority in the bargaining unit
threat effect
a belief that nonunion employers increase wages to avoid unionization
total compensation
the total base pay, performance pay, indirect pay that an employee receives
trade union
unions that organize all workers of a trade regardless of their industry or workplace
transnational corporations
global corporations that may integrate prodcut chains horizontally; for example, parts of the final product might be made in a dozen countries spanning five continents
tripartite
a tripartite board has three stakeholders; management, labour and government
unfair labour practices
an alleged violation of the labour relations act
union
a group of workers recognized by law who collectively bargain terms and conditions of employment with their employer
union acceptance
management’s seeing unionization as a democratic right, and accepting that part, if not all, of its operations will be unionized
union commitment
an employee’s commitment to his or her union
union coverage
a broader measure than union density; includes nonmembers covered by the collective agreement
union density
a fraction that expresses union members as a percentage of the non-agricultural labour force
union removal
a management strategy designed to remove the union from the workplace
union resistance
a management policy seeking to limit the spread of unions in the firm
union satisfaction
an employee’s assessment of his or her union experience
union security
the method by which unions are able to maintain membership and dues collection in bargaining unit
union shop
a form of union security in which new employees must join the union but only after their probation period
union substitution
a management strategy designed to give nonunion employees all the advantages of unionization
utility function
the sum of individual preferences for such measurable items as wages and benefits
values
a set of standards or principles
voluntarism
the notion that collective bargaining is a private matter between the parties and that government intervention should be kept to a minimum
wage differential
the difference in wages earned by two groups of workers
Wagner Act
named after the bill’s sponsor, Senator Robert F Wagner of New York, and more formally known as the National Labour Relations Act of the United States
wildcat strike
an illegal strike during the term of the collective agreement
work to rule
the strategy of employees who perform only to minimum standard required
