One continuing problem in labor-management relations is the "us/them"…
2017
One continuing problem in labor-management relations is the "us/them" mentality. In addition to fiscal constraints, continuing problems with the Fair Labor Standards Act, bad-faith negotiations, bad management practices, poor union leadership, and a continued loss of management prerogatives will all combine to produce forces that will cause a significant increase in disruptive job actions in the near future. Neither side is blameless. The tragedy of the situation is that the impact of poor labor-management relations is relatively predictable and is thus avoidable.
Since the economic situation will not improve significantly in the next few years, the pressure on the part of union leaders to obtain more benefits for their members will be frustrated. As a result of the PATCO strike, management has learned that times are conducive to regaining prerogatives lost during the previous decade. The stage for confrontation between labor and management in the public sector is set, and in many areas, only requires an incident to force disruptive job actions.
The only solution to this seemingly intractable problem lies in the area of skilled negotiations and good-faith bargaining. This requires commitment on the part of management and labor to live up to the terms of existing contracts.
The author implies that if the economic conditions improve:
- A.
management will lose much of its power
- B.
labor leaders will not seek more benefits
- C.
Labor-management tensions will decline
- D.
Labor will win a voice in management
Attempted by 5 students.
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Correct answer: C
The passage says the economic situation is unlikely to improve significantly, which means one major source of labour-management tension would reduce only if the economy improves. Therefore tensions would decline in that case.