Organization: Employee and Labor Relations

Question 1

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 1

Employment at-will

Question 2

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

Answer 2

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

Question 3

Orderly way to resolve differences of opinion.

Answer 3

Grievance procedure

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Wildcat strike

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Lockout

Question 6

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 6

Works councils

Question 7

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 7

Conciliation

Question 8

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 8

Labor union

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Intellectual property (IP)

Question 10

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 10

Mediation

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Constructive discipline

Question 12

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

Answer 12

Secondary action

Question 13

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 13

Project labor agreement (PLA)

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Sympathy strike

Question 15

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

Answer 15

Sit-down strike

Question 16

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

Answer 16

Collective bargaining

Question 17

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

Answer 17

Unfair labor practice (ULP)

Question 18

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 18

Arbitration

Question 19

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

Answer 19

Policy

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

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

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

Answer 22

Work-to-rule

Question 23

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

Answer 23

Industrial actions

Question 24

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

Answer 24

Non-compete agreement (NCA)

Question 25

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

Answer 25

Picketing

Question 26

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 26

Trade union