| Word | Description |
| U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) | On March 1, 2003, service and benefit functions of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) transitioned into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS is responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions and establishing immigration services policies and priorities. |
| Underutilization | Having materially fewer minorities or women in a particular job group than reasonably would be expected based upon their availability. See Section 2G06. |
| Undue Hardship | In general, with respect to the provision of a reasonable accommodation, significant difficulty or expense incurred by a contractor. Whether an accommodation is reasonable requires a case-by-case determination. For Section 503, see Chapter 6, Appendix A, IV. For Executive Order 11246, see Manual Section 3H02. |
| Unemployed | Under the criteria established by the Bureau of the Census of the U.S. Department of Commerce, civilians 16 years old and over who: (a) were neither "at work" nor "with a job" during the reference week (see "Employed"); (b) were looking for work during the last 4 weeks; and (c) were available to accept a job. Also included as unemployed are persons who did not work at all during the reference week and were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off. |
| Unemployment insurance | A statutory benefit. Unemployment insurance is designed to provide workers who have been laid off a weekly income during short periods of unemployment. The system is run and funded by state and federal taxes paid by employers. |
| Unemployment insurance (UI) | A statutory benefit. Unemployment insurance is designed to provide workers who have been laid off a weekly income during short periods of unemployment. The system is run and funded by state and federal taxes paid by employers. |
| Unemployment rate | The number of individuals unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. |
| Unfair labor practice (ULP) | An unfair labor practice (ULP) is a violation of a right protected by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The ULP procedures provided by the Statute are part of the basic mechanisms by which the parties are protected in the exercise of their rights. |
| Unfair labor practice strike | Work stoppage called by a union to protest the unfair labor practices of an employer. In order for a strike to be an unfair labor practice strike, the NLRB must agree that the work stoppage was caused by or prolonged by the unfair labor practices of the employer. Unfair labor practice strikers cannot be permanently replaced. |
| Unfair list | The basis for placement of an employer on an Unfair List is anti-labor conduct including, but not limited to, the following: failure to sign a labor agreement; commission of an unfair labor practice; violations of state or federal laws or rules; utilization of non-union labor; utilization or promotion of non-union goods or services; anti-union practices; or failure to provide workers with fair and equitable wages and benefits, decent hours and working conditions. |
| Unfairly discriminatory | An action or policy resulting in members of protected groups becoming disadvantaged in relation to the employer’s selection, hiring, promotion, pay and training opportunities, when said person(s) are as equally qualified and have the same potential to be successful. |
| Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures of 1978 | The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures address the use of interviewing, testing, training and other employee selection tools and their impact on discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Specifically addressed is adverse impact, measured by the 80% test, which states that if a selection practice yields less than 80% of a protected group, as compared with the most frequently selected group, there may be evidence of discrimination. The guidelines also require employers to maintain records, for an unspecified period of time, on their selection procedures and any adverse impact noted, as well as records of the employer's workforce broken down by race and ethnic groups. |
| Uniformed services | A term used to refer to public service employees (i.e. police officers, firefighters, etc.) |
| Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 | The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA, or the Act), signed into law on October 13, 1994, clarifies and strengthens the Veterans’ Reemployment Rights (VRR) Statute. USERRA is intended to minimize the disadvantages to an individual that can occur when that person needs to be absent from his or her civilian employment in order to serve in the uniformed services. USERRA makes major improvements in protecting service member rights and benefits by clarifying the law and improving enforcement mechanisms. USERRA expands the cumulative length of time that an individual may be absent from work for uniformed services duty and retain reemployment rights. |
| Uniformly Applied | Applying employment criteria/processes in the same manner to members of a particular race, color, religion, sex or national origin group and others. |
| Unilateral changes | Actions taken directly by management, without discussions with the union, during labor organizing situations or where a union is recognized or certified. These actions may or may not constitute unfair labor practices. |
| Union | A formal organization certified by the National Labor Relations Board and authorized to act on behalf of employees regarding wages, benefits, working conditions, conditions of employment and job security. |
| Union buster | A professional consultant which provides tactics and strategies for employers trying to avoid unionization or decertify unions. |
| Union consolidation | A no-risk procedure for combining existing units into one or more larger appropriate units. |
| Union label | A stamp or tag on a product or card in a store or shop to show that the work is performed by members of a labor union. |
| Union organizer | An individual who is a member of a local or international union’s staff whose primary job responsibility is to recruit new members. |
| Union security clause | Clause in a collective bargaining agreement compelling a unit employee to become and retain membership in the union (which is ultimately restricted to the payment of dues and initiation fees) as a condition of employment. This is a mandatory subject of bargaining. |
| Union Shop | A factory, business, etc. operating under a contract between the employer and a labor union, that requires that all employees within the bargaining unit pay uniform periodic dues to the union, beginning within a specific period after hire. |
| Unit clarification | NLRA procedure to determine whether or not new employee classifications should be covered under a collective bargaining agreement. |
| Unit determination | A procedure by which a labor relations agency makes a finding as to the appropriateness of including certain employees within a group for collective bargaining purposes. |
| Unit, or bargaining unit | Grouping of employees being sought for union representation. NLRB looks at community of interest factors when determining unit questions, including: rates of pay, benefits, work areas, working conditions, skill levels, work interactions, supervision, nature of work being performed, etc. |
| Unlawful employment practice | Any policy or practice that has discriminatory intent or effect and cannot be shown to be essential to the successful performance of the job in question. |
| Unretirement | The practice of hiring retired former employees whose skills or qualifications are in need. |
| Unsafe acts | Any action, such as horseplay, fighting, failing to abide by a safety rule, etc., that results in accident or injury to another. |
| Unsafe conditions | Hazards, such as faulty equipment or tools, improper safety procedures, failure to improperly guard equipment, etc., that result or have the potential to result in an accident or injury to another. |
| Unskilled worker | Someone who is not required to use reasoning in their work: Examples: packager, assembler, laborer, hand, apprentice |
| Unsuccessful Conciliation | Charge with reasonable cause determination closed after efforts to conciliate the charge are unsuccessful. Pursuant to Commission policy, the field office will close the charge and review it for litigation consideration. NOTE: Because "reasonable cause" has been found, this is considered a merit resolution. |
| Unwelcome behavior/conduct | Conduct or behavior by peers, subordinates or supervisors that is objectionable or unacceptable to an individual. |
| Upward mobility | The process of preparing minorities for promotion into higher-level jobs, such as managerial positions. |
| Utilization management | Review and analysis of health care programs to determine cost control methods. Involves reviewing claims for potential utilization problems. |