The man knew how to deal with unions

[Wyatt_Junker]

I believe it was(correct me if I'm wrong) 1986 in the year of our Lord and the air traffic controllers decided to use collective power against the airlines, or you could say blackmail.

Ronnie, pointed his finger at 'em and pulled the trigger then blew the smoke.

All of 'em gone...fired.

He wasn't gonna let the nation be held hostage to whiners.

My brother-in-law, 18 yrs. old at the time, walked into a tower and was hired on the spot -no experience.

He made good money then, and makes even better today. He'll retire in less than 8 years making $120k playing shuffle board. Not bad.

Thanks Reagan.

[The_Finman]

Originally posted by Wyatt Junker:
I believe it was(correct me if I'm wrong) 1986...<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually it was August 3rd 1981, but who's counting and tell your Brother-in-law congratulations for me. images/icons/wink.gif


<h2><font color=#003399>In Honor of Ronald Reagan
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Brian Trumbore
President/Editor, StocksandNews.com

http://people.clemson.edu/~mjmccoy/reagan.jpgIn honor of Ronald Reagan's 90th birthday, I thought I'd do a story on his handling of the air traffic controllers union back in 1981, just months after he took office.

While this isn't a standard Wall Street history piece, it certainly was a historic moment in the annals of labor unions and Reagan set the tone for a generation of management / labor issues, the vast majority of which were settled peaceably and for the good of the U.S. economy.

When Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in January 1981, he put forward in his inaugural address that government was not the solution to the nation's difficulties, it was the major cause.

But while the nation was clamoring for a change in tone, in light of the depressing Carter years, it was still unclear just what kind of leader Reagan would be.

Then on March 30, just two months into his presidency, Reagan was shot by John Hinckley.

The president's brave handling of the near fatal assassination attempt helped enhance his standing among the people.

The American aviation system employed some 17,000 air traffic controllers, organized under the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO).

The members were upset that the wage increase they had been offered was below what they sought.

They also argued that the stress of the job demanded a shorter workweek and earlier retirement options, on top of the extra cash.

Some of their grievances were legitimate, such as the plea for a more modernized air traffic control system.

And since earlier in the century, the American people had a sympathetic ear when it came to union matters (after all, at one time over 60% of workers in this country were part of organized labor), and it was assumed by PATCO that they would win over the people's support.

Just one mistake in judgment could cause the death of hundreds of passengers.

In this respect, the work of a controller was unlike any other.

In the immediate aftermath of the strike announcement, there was bedlam in the entire U.S. transportation network.

Management scrambled to fill the slots (controlling air traffic themselves, in most cases) and the airlines were able to operate at only 70% capacity.

But if PATCO thought they were going to have their way with President Reagan because he would be too concerned about the financial impact a prolonged strike could have on the American economy, well, they were about to find out otherwise.

PATCO's members were in total defiance of federal law as there was a ban on strikes by government employees.

Once, as governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge had turned the National Guard loose on a strike by Boston's policemen.

Ironically, PATCO had supported the president in the 1980 campaign.

But, as Reagan biographer Dinesh D'Souza wrote, "(while) political calculation might dictate that a new president should work out an amicable settlement rather than alienate a powerful union that supported him and risk paralyzing the country's civil aviation system," Reagan didn't buy that argument.

With the backing of transportation secretary Drew Lewis, Reagan gave the controllers just 48 hours to return to work.

PATCO's leader, Robert Poli, still naively thought that he could shut down the nation's airports and that the administration would have to give in to their demands.

But instead, the government scrambled to hire more controllers (many from the military) and the disruption to air traffic proved to be brief.

Full Story <font color="red"><u>Here</u></font> (http://www.buyandhold.com/bh/en/education/history/2001/ronaldreagan.html)
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[Wyatt_Junker]

Thanks Fin,

Don't know why I said '86. I just took a stab in the dark.

Good article. I wish everyone would fire strikers. Then go pamphleteer high schools and colleges with some good 'ol do ray mi.