Civil Rights Act

1. Why is 1964 and the passage of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) a turning point in the evolution of HR? Stated differently, other than 1964 representing the beginning of a steady flow of regulations to follow, what occurred that constituted a change of direction? Why?

2. Define and describe a contemporary bargaining unit as defined by the National Labor Relations Act. How, if at all, does it differ from a bargaining unit in 1935?

3. When and how was the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission established? What is its purpose?

4. What is a bona fide occupational qualification? Provide at least two specific examples.

5. What is the intended goal of the right-to-know laws? In your opinion, have they been successful? Why or why not?

6. Well before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in some instances employers were required to provide reasonable accommodation of the limitations of an employee or applicant. When did this occur, and what were the conditions under which this requirement applied?

7. What appears to have been the primary intended purpose of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act? Why was this legislation deemed to be necessary?

8. What have been the primary effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act on businesses?

9. Pose two hypothetical examples of situations in which a healthcare employer might legally require a polygraph (lie detector) test as a condition of either initial or continued employment.

10. Viewing the Family and Medical Leave Act from the perspective of a working department manager, describe the ways in which this legislation has affected a supervisor’s ability to manage.

*****All answers are found in book, “Human Resource Management in Health Care” by L. Fleming Fallon Jr., Charles R. McConnell