[August 05, 2014] Labor unions were in their glory days in the 1970s and 80s. They had just help elect President Ronald Reagan who took office in January of 1981. Yet on August 5th in 1981, one of the most important unions of the federal government had its striking workers fired by President Reagan – 11,359 of them. Not only that but a lifetime ban was placed on those fired, the union president held in contempt, some union leaders jailed, and the union later decertified. What was behind President firing those air traffic controllers?
President Reagan was elected in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter, the malaise president. On March 30th, just two months after being inaugurated, there was an assassination attempt on him. Reagan was at the height of his popularity and yet the union, Professional Air-Traffic Controllers Association’s (PATCO) president decided a strike was warranted. The previous union president said that a strike would occur only if the political climate was right and it was not right at that time. The union was seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour work week. However, the law prohibited strikes by government unions.
The new union president, air traffic controllers, and the American population were all surprised that President Reagan carried out his threat to fire those who did not return to work within the 48 hours he had given them. Regardless of where one stands on this issue, it was clear that Reagan wanted to send a powerful message that he was in charge as the President. Reagan is still considered one of the best presidents in the 20th century and certainly one of the best since the Vietnam War.
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[Some good background in these articles on the strike]
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/reagan-fires-11359-air-traffic-controllers
http://avstop.com/news/strike1.html