IDRL 215 Direct Content Exam Prep – Questions with
100% Correct Answers Latest Update |
Athabasca University | Bolded Correct Answers &
Italicized Explanations
Introduction
This comprehensive exam preparation guide is designed for students enrolled in DRL 215
(formerly IDRL 215): Introduction to Labour Relations at Athabasca University. This
resource covers the final exam material for the 2025/2026 academic year and includes:
Union Certification & Organizing Drives – Factors influencing unionization, certification
processes, and unfair labour practices
Collective Bargaining – Bargaining stages, bargaining power, good faith requirements,
and negotiation strategies
Strikes & Lockouts – Legal strike requirements, wildcat strikes, final offer votes, and back-
to-work legislation
Grievance & Arbitration – Duty of fair representation, arbitration process, and standard of
proof
Public Sector Labour Relations – Government intervention, wage restraint laws, and
permanent exceptionalism
Globalization & Contemporary Challenges – Precarious employment, union responses,
and trends in union density
Each question includes the correct answer in bold and an italicized rationale to reinforce
learning.
Section 1: Union Certification & Organizing Drives (Questions 1-20)
1. Which of the following is NOT a factor in workers' decision to unionize?
A. Personal prospects for promotion
, B. Parents' attitudes toward unions
C. Dissatisfaction with management
D. Belief the union is able to achieve changes in the workplace
Rationale: While belief in a union's effectiveness influences organizing, the
question asks for the factor that is NOT a driver. Research indicates that
dissatisfaction with management, personal prospects, and parental attitudes toward
unions are key factors, whereas the belief that a union can achieve change is actually
a factor—making this a trick question where "none of the above" might be implied,
but per the source materials, personal prospects for promotion is identified as NOT a
factor .
2. Union busters will commonly employ which tactics to thwart an organizing drive?
A. Hold captive meetings
B. Fire workers involved in the drive
C. Promise to increase wages
D. Threaten closure or relocation of the workplace
E. All of the above
F. A, B, D only
Rationale: Union busters commonly use captive audience meetings, firing workers
involved in organizing, and threatening closure or relocation. While promising wage
increases may occur, it is not typically considered a primary "union busting" tactic in
the same category as coercive measures .
3. For what reason might a union decide to raid another union's members?
A. The employer is not interested in bargaining with the other union
B. They feel they can do a better job representing the workers
C. They are experiencing financial pressures
D. The other union has walked away from the certification
E. All of the above
F. B and C only
Rationale: Unions may raid another union's members for multiple reasons:
believing they can provide better representation, experiencing financial pressures
that require increased membership, or when the other union has abandoned
certification. All are valid motivations for raiding .
4. A union becomes the bargaining agent for a group of workers when:
A. It files a certification application
B. It sets up an organizing committee
C. The labour relations board issues a certification order
D. It demonstrates that it has sufficient membership support
100% Correct Answers Latest Update |
Athabasca University | Bolded Correct Answers &
Italicized Explanations
Introduction
This comprehensive exam preparation guide is designed for students enrolled in DRL 215
(formerly IDRL 215): Introduction to Labour Relations at Athabasca University. This
resource covers the final exam material for the 2025/2026 academic year and includes:
Union Certification & Organizing Drives – Factors influencing unionization, certification
processes, and unfair labour practices
Collective Bargaining – Bargaining stages, bargaining power, good faith requirements,
and negotiation strategies
Strikes & Lockouts – Legal strike requirements, wildcat strikes, final offer votes, and back-
to-work legislation
Grievance & Arbitration – Duty of fair representation, arbitration process, and standard of
proof
Public Sector Labour Relations – Government intervention, wage restraint laws, and
permanent exceptionalism
Globalization & Contemporary Challenges – Precarious employment, union responses,
and trends in union density
Each question includes the correct answer in bold and an italicized rationale to reinforce
learning.
Section 1: Union Certification & Organizing Drives (Questions 1-20)
1. Which of the following is NOT a factor in workers' decision to unionize?
A. Personal prospects for promotion
, B. Parents' attitudes toward unions
C. Dissatisfaction with management
D. Belief the union is able to achieve changes in the workplace
Rationale: While belief in a union's effectiveness influences organizing, the
question asks for the factor that is NOT a driver. Research indicates that
dissatisfaction with management, personal prospects, and parental attitudes toward
unions are key factors, whereas the belief that a union can achieve change is actually
a factor—making this a trick question where "none of the above" might be implied,
but per the source materials, personal prospects for promotion is identified as NOT a
factor .
2. Union busters will commonly employ which tactics to thwart an organizing drive?
A. Hold captive meetings
B. Fire workers involved in the drive
C. Promise to increase wages
D. Threaten closure or relocation of the workplace
E. All of the above
F. A, B, D only
Rationale: Union busters commonly use captive audience meetings, firing workers
involved in organizing, and threatening closure or relocation. While promising wage
increases may occur, it is not typically considered a primary "union busting" tactic in
the same category as coercive measures .
3. For what reason might a union decide to raid another union's members?
A. The employer is not interested in bargaining with the other union
B. They feel they can do a better job representing the workers
C. They are experiencing financial pressures
D. The other union has walked away from the certification
E. All of the above
F. B and C only
Rationale: Unions may raid another union's members for multiple reasons:
believing they can provide better representation, experiencing financial pressures
that require increased membership, or when the other union has abandoned
certification. All are valid motivations for raiding .
4. A union becomes the bargaining agent for a group of workers when:
A. It files a certification application
B. It sets up an organizing committee
C. The labour relations board issues a certification order
D. It demonstrates that it has sufficient membership support
