1. How do public-sector employees' rights and interests differ from those of private-sector employees?

2. People have tended to join unions for reasons that would appear to be, from their own viewpoints, extremely logical. Discuss the validity of this statement.

3. What impact did the Great Depression have on the U.S. labor movement?

4. The AFL-CIO and its leaders from the past help define the labor movement in the United States and help define where the union movement is today. How have the AFL-CIO (federation) national and local unions been involved politically? What impact has this had on unions and legislation passed?

5. Wage issues are often the catalyst for a strike. Although the union is focusing on what it can get in terms of total income to the union member, management is looking at the impact of these costs on the total business picture. From a management perspective, defend what you would judge to be the most desirable arrangement for your organization. Consider the ability-to-pay approach and the comparative approach. Be sure to include other factors around the wage issue that might impact your decision.

6. The increasing sophistication and enlightenment of modern top business executives in dealing with their subordinates has led to a state of affairs wherein managements today are more democratic than unions. Do you agree? Why or why not?

7. If there had been no labor unions in this country in the past 30 years or so, the growth of employee benefits would perhaps have been only a small fraction of what it has actually been. Discuss.

8. Ultimately, the role of an arbitrator in a grievance case is to decide the case. Describe how factors such as past practice, fairness, and ethics affect an arbitrator's decision in the case. Further, explain how arbitrators could be seen as scapegoats for the case.

9. What are the pros and cons of state right-to-work laws?