Final answer:
Union membership is not a "state of the economy" factor affecting the negotiation and administration of work rules. Economic indicators like inflation, health costs, standard of living, and unemployment rates are the direct conditions that impact labor discussions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "state of the economy" factors affecting the negotiation and administration of work rules include a variety of economic conditions that can influence employment discussions and outcomes. Among the given options, union membership does not directly represent a state of the economy, but rather a collective organization status. The other factors, such as rising inflation rate, rising health costs, decreased employees' standard of living, and unemployment rates, are direct indicators of the economic environment and can heavily influence labor negotiations and the determination of work rules.
Furthermore, other economic conditions such as a stock market collapse, extremely rapid growth of exports, rising inflation, a rise in the natural rate of unemployment, and a rise in oil prices can also stress negotiations, as they affect the overall economy and thus the bargaining power of employers and unions. This dynamic is influenced by expectations and protections like those associated with Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) in wage contracts against inflation.