CMM Human Resources & Labor Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A municipal manager is reviewing a classification plan. The PRIMARY purpose of job classification is to:
- Determine individual employee performance ratings
- Group positions with similar duties and responsibilities into the same pay grade (Correct answer)
- Identify candidates for promotional opportunities
- Establish the chain of command within departments
Correct answer: Group positions with similar duties and responsibilities into the same pay grade
Job classification groups positions with similar duties, qualifications, and responsibilities to ensure equitable compensation and consistent HR management.
Question 2: Which type of interest arbitration requires the arbitrator to choose the entire final offer of one party rather than fashioning a compromise?
- Conventional arbitration
- Final-offer arbitration (package) (Correct answer)
- Med-arb
- Expedited arbitration
Correct answer: Final-offer arbitration (package)
Final-offer (package) arbitration forces the arbitrator to select one party's complete last offer, incentivizing both sides to make reasonable proposals.
Question 3: A supervisor repeatedly makes comments about an employee's religion that the employee finds offensive, even after being asked to stop. This is BEST described as:
- Disparate treatment discrimination
- A hostile work environment claim under Title VII (Correct answer)
- Constructive discharge
- A due process violation
Correct answer: A hostile work environment claim under Title VII
Repeated, unwelcome comments about a protected characteristic that create an offensive work environment constitute a hostile work environment claim under Title VII.
Question 4: Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees are entitled to how many weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year?
- 6 weeks
- 8 weeks
- 12 weeks (Correct answer)
- 26 weeks
Correct answer: 12 weeks
FMLA provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per 12-month period for qualifying family or medical reasons.
Question 5: The Weingarten rights established by the Supreme Court entitle union employees to:
- Refuse overtime assignments without cause
- Union representation during investigatory interviews that could lead to discipline (Correct answer)
- Strike without advance notice in public safety units
- Access to management's collective bargaining proposals
Correct answer: Union representation during investigatory interviews that could lead to discipline
Weingarten rights give union employees the right to request union representation during investigatory interviews they reasonably believe may result in disciplinary action.
Question 6: When conducting a structured interview process for a municipal position, which practice BEST reduces the risk of bias and legal challenge?
- Allowing each interviewer to ask different questions based on their concerns
- Using standardized, job-related questions scored with a consistent rubric for all candidates (Correct answer)
- Selecting questions spontaneously to keep the interview conversational
- Excluding panel members who know the applicants personally
Correct answer: Using standardized, job-related questions scored with a consistent rubric for all candidates
Structured interviews with standardized, job-related questions and a scoring rubric improve validity, reduce bias, and withstand legal scrutiny.
Question 7: A municipal firefighter union demands to bargain over the type of protective equipment used on the job. This subject is MOST likely classified as:
- A prohibited subject of bargaining
- A permissive subject of bargaining only if the union insists
- A mandatory subject of bargaining related to safety and working conditions (Correct answer)
- A management right that cannot be bargained
Correct answer: A mandatory subject of bargaining related to safety and working conditions
Personal protective equipment directly affects employee safety and is generally a mandatory subject of bargaining under most public sector labor laws.
CMM Human Resources & Labor Relations 3
A municipal manager is reviewing a classification plan.
The PRIMARY purpose of job classification is to: