6Exam #2
Fall 15
Instructions:
Please read these carefully. Each class is likely to be different. If you assume you know what is required, you may make a mistake that can be avoided just by reading the instructions.
· Post your Answer Sheet by October 19, 2015, 11:59 p.m. (EST), in your individual assignment folder. Please post on time to avoid the 10% per day late penalty required by departmental policy. Remember the late window begins at 12:00 a.m. the next day. Please don’t ask me after the deadline to waive a late penalty. If you’re having a problem that matches the criteria in the grading policy, contact me before the deadline. I help when I can. (See the Grading Information in the syllabus.)
· Please work alone; this is not a group assignment. The special group session for Part B is an exception.
· Do not use any work that has been submitted to a previous class. (See the Grading Information in the syllabus. This is also part of the Academic Integrity pledge you signed.)
· Do not use a cover sheet. Just be sure your name is on the Answer Sheet. The blank Answer Sheet is in the Course Content area, in the same place as the exam.
· Remember to use a Word .doc or .docx file format to ensure I can open your work. (See the Grading Information in the syllabus.)
· Please do not retype the information or annotate your multiple-choice response. Any confusion in the answer will be interpreted as an error. Just list the response by the number on the Answer Sheet.
· Please do not consult sources other than those we have already used in the course. The exam tests your understanding of the existing reading material and exercises, not your ability to do research.
· Please do use APA to reference your essay/case response. Create a reference list at the end and use the (author, year) format within the text; or, if it is a direct quote, the (author, year, page number) format. Please do not start a new page only for the reference list; just space down after your last response.
· Remember to process Part C through Turnitin and include the originality score on your Answer Sheet. Departmental policy requires the score to be available before the work is submitted to your assignment folder for grading. The document in your assignment folder must match the final one submitted to Turnitin. Be sure to allow time for multiple submissions in case you need them. Turnitin often requires at least 24 hours to process a revision. You’ll need to check each match to be sure it is presented properly. The score represents both possible referencing errors and the amount of original work. For an assignment of this nature, most of the work should be original thinking. If you do not have a “green” score, please see if you can paraphrase some of your quotations. If you need to cite an “expert” source, such as for a definition, however, paraphrasing may not be appropriate.
· Please realize that I cannot answer questions that are actually part of the test itself. That violates testing methodology. I can address “administrative type” questions. Post questions to the 6Exam#2 discussion area (vs. email) so everyone will have the same information.
· Please be sure you have submitted the document you intended. Double-check by opening your document in your folder after you’ve submitted it. After the deadline, I cannot accept revisions to your assignment.
Tips for Success
Be sure you have answered all the questions. From time to time, I see students misnumber or omit questions.
Allow sufficient time to think, revise, and think again about your answers before producing the final document. As soon as you have the exam, read what is needed. During the week, think about how to answer the questions. Jot down ideas to consider. Create an outline of the content you want to include in the written portion. Then, assemble the parts into a coherent response.
Use the free writing support tools that are accessed via the classroom. Allow enough time for the writing tutors to assist. Use the Common Writing Issues as a checklist. Both sources are located in the Content area.
Part A – Basic Knowledge (This is worth 30% of the test score. Each question is worth 2 points.)
1. Which of the following is true of distributive bargaining?
a. Each party gains an equal amount or an amount in proportion to its contribution.
b. Both parties aim at maximizing self-interest and grab the largest share of a resource.
c. The parties view each other as collaborators and seek mutually beneficial options.
d. Both parties consider past and future negotiations as well as the current negotiation.
2. A month before negotiations begin, which of the following indicates that management may expect a strike:
a. Overtime has been used to build the warehouse inventory.
b. Cross-training programs are cancelled.
c. HR withdraws job postings in the local newspapers.
d. Installation of security cameras at the entrances is postponed.
3. True or False: In a distributive strategy, usually each side will include more items on its opening list than it really cares about in order to have something it can give away.
4. True or False: The deadline for reaching an agreement is a key pressure that can impact the parties’ willingness to agree.
5. If the union requests it, which of the following subjects must management negotiate during collective bargaining?
a. pension benefits of retired employees
b. membership of the bargaining team
c. the decision to file bankruptcy
d. merit wage increases
6. The reserved rights theory generally contends that ________.
a. management retains all rights except those it has explicitly agreed to share or relinquish to
the union.
b. management has only those rights that are specifically mentioned in the contract
c. management has reserved the right to adjust the terms without negotiating if the economic
conditions change
d. management has reserved the right to obtain approval from its Board of Directors before
finalizing the agreement.
7. A dues check-off provision is:
a. automatically required once the union has been certified
b. a common throwaway item on the union’s agenda
c. illegal in Right-to-Work states
d. authorized by each union member in writing
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8. During a negotiation, the union proposes a 25 cent per hour wage increase across the board. Management says it cannot afford that. Management has just:
a. Reached an impasse
b. Established an obligation to share corporate financial information with the union
c. Provided a counter offer and should wait for the union to propose something else
d. Revealed its BATNA
9. True or False: If a company has more than one warehouse in northern Florida and only the Jacksonville site is unionized, the company’s BATNA and bargaining power is greater than if only one warehouse exists.
10. True or False: Since the 1980s, unions have increased the use of a strike as their BATNA.
11. True or False: If you are picketing your employer for unilaterally changing the work hours and your
neighbor is hired to replace you, when the strike is over, your neighbor may have the position instead of you but you will have priority over a brand new employee.
12. True or False: If negotiations reach an impasse and such an impasse is not the result of an
employer’s bad-faith negotiations, then an employer can unilaterally implement its last offer.
13. True or False: Labor negotiators generally prefer to use arbitration in resolving a contract negotiation impasse because then they can control the outcome of the process.
14. True or False: Before a contract is officially accepted, the union negotiating team submits the agreement to its membership for approval.
15. True or False: If the union contract includes a wage increase, employees in the bargaining unit who have not joined the union receive the increase.
Part B (This is worth 10% of the exam. Each item is worth 2 points.)
Management in a small company has recently realized a $100,000 increase in profits. This has occurred after two years of poor economic performance due to expensive storm damage in two of its facilities. It needs to stabilize its costs and conserve some of the funds for future shortfalls. It has designated $30,000 for labor in this year’s budget. This represents a 5% increase in the hourly wage for employees. If it delays the development of two technology upgrades, it could provide an 8% wage increase but customers might then gravitate to a competitor. Managers will receive an 8% salary increase plus bonuses of 10%.
The union was able to avoid a wage concession in the last two years, but employees did not have an increase. During that time, the industry standard for wage increases was 3%. This year it is 5%. The election of union officers occurs next year. This year the union hopes to secure a 10% hourly wage increase without losing any other financial benefits. It estimates that it could get a 6% increase ratified but anything less would not be supported.
1. The ZOPA is:
a. 0 – 10%
b. 5 – 10%
c. 6 – 8%
d. 5 – 8%
2. In a distributive strategy, if the union makes the opening proposal, its initial offer should be:
a. 20%
b. 15%
c. 12%
d. 10%
3. In a distributive strategy, if the company opens the negotiation with an initial offer of 0%, the union should counter-propose:
a. 20%
b. 15%
c. 12%
d. 10%
4. After several discussions, both parties offer their target points. If the parties use the equality norm on that combination, the agreement will be:
a. 9%
b. 7.5%
c. 7%
d. 5.5%
5. The union’s BATNA would be used if an impasse occurred at:
a. 5%
b. 6%
c. 7%
d. 8%
Part C (This is worth 60% of the exam.)
Please double-space your response. Limit your response to a maximum of 2 concisely written, double-spaced pages. Please begin your response here; do not start a new page. This section needs to be processed through Turnitin. Submit only this section to avoid inflating your score.
A union has just been certified at your company. The company has never worked with a union before. It was not happy to lose the election. Some staff members have been saying that they won’t deal with the union. The CEO thinks this could be a problem and has asked you to make a presentation to management’s bargaining team about its key rights and responsibilities. Now, you need to develop the material that will eventually go into the presentation.
Use standard writing, not bulleted items.
____ Purpose(s) – Why should the bargaining team attend this session? (5 points)
____Specific Rights and Responsibilities (75 points)
Choose 3 key ones. For each, give the:
--Definition
--Source(s) of Authorization
--Impact it can have
--Actions that indicate it does/does not occur
--Needed knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill it
____ Summary –What should the participants remember and use from this session? (5 points)
____Writing is clear and clean. (10 points)
____APA referencing is used. (5 points)