CPRE Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining

Question 1

A parks employee files a grievance claiming the supervisor violated the collective bargaining agreement by assigning overtime without following the contract's rotation procedure. What is the FIRST step in the standard grievance process?

Accepted Answer

Attempt informal resolution between the employee and the immediate supervisor

Answer

Most collective bargaining agreements establish a multi-step grievance process that begins with informal resolution at the lowest supervisory level. Arbitration is a last resort invoked only after earlier steps — including supervisor, department head, and HR review — have failed to resolve the dispute.

Question 2

Which clause in a collective bargaining agreement explicitly preserves the agency's right to manage daily operations, set work schedules, and make employment decisions within the bounds of the contract?

Accepted Answer

Management rights clause

Answer

The management rights clause reserves specified operational decision-making authority for the employer. It typically covers the right to hire, discipline, direct work, determine schedules, and set agency policy — provided these actions do not violate other provisions of the agreement.

Question 3

During contract negotiations, the union and management reach an impasse on wages. Which mechanism is most commonly used in public-sector labor disputes when negotiations stall?

Accepted Answer

Interest arbitration by a neutral third party

Answer

Interest arbitration is commonly used in public-sector labor disputes — particularly where strikes are legally prohibited — in which a neutral arbitrator hears both sides and issues a binding decision on the unresolved contract terms. Many states restrict or prohibit public employee strikes, making arbitration the primary impasse resolution mechanism.

Question 4

A parks executive reassigns work traditionally performed by union members to part-time seasonal employees without bargaining with the union. This action most likely constitutes:

Accepted Answer

An unfair labor practice (ULP)

Answer

Unilaterally changing a mandatory subject of bargaining — such as the scope of bargaining unit work — without first bargaining in good faith with the union is typically an unfair labor practice (ULP). Wages, hours, and working conditions are mandatory subjects that require negotiation before the employer implements changes.

Question 5

Under most public-sector collective bargaining frameworks, which of the following is a MANDATORY subject of bargaining?

Accepted Answer

Employee wages and health insurance benefits

Answer

Wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment — including health insurance — are mandatory subjects of bargaining that the employer must negotiate in good faith. Agency mission, number of facilities, and capital priorities are management prerogatives, not mandatory bargaining subjects.

CPRE - Certified Park and Recreation Executive Practice Test

CPRE - Certified Park and Recreation Executive Practice Test

CPRE Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining