Ronald Reagan and the Firing of the Air Traffic Controllers

"In the latest volume for the Landmark Presidential Decisions series, Andrew Busch focuses on the decision by Ronald Reagan in August 1981 to fire striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association (PATCO) at the nation's airports in response to the decision by the 12,000 members to go on strike to demand a large pay raise, 32-hour work week, and other benefits. PATCO was one of three national unions to endorse Reagan in the 1980 campaign, and Reagan had signaled a desire to work with it. On the other hand, Reagan was committed to limiting federal spending and cutting inflation. Reagan's decision came in the first year of his presidency, and in many ways it set the tone for his two terms in the White House. It was also a contested decision both within the administration and in the public, though it ultimately proved popular. The decision had substantial long-term consequences and accelerated the decline of unions in the private sector"--