1. Air Traffic
Controllers Strike
1981
Ronald Reagan

2. Ronald Reagan -
republican

3. Ronald Reagan -
republican

4. Ronald Reagan -
republican
• ‘Being in a union is basic right’

5. PATCO - on strike

6. PATCO - on strike
• $10,000 wage
increase

7. PATCO - on strike
• $10,000 wage
increase
• reduction in working
hours

8. PATCO - on strike
• $10,000 wage
increase
• reduction in working
hours
• better recruitment
benefits

9. PATCO - on strike
• $10,000 wage
increase
• reduction in working
hours
• better recruitment
benefits
• 13,000 out 0f 17,500
members went on
stroke

10. PATCO - on strike
• $10,000 wage
increase
• reduction in working
hours
• better recruitment
benefits
• 13,000 out 0f 17,500
members went on
stroke

11. Negotiations
• The FAA started them in Feb
1981
• Workers wanting more
money for less hours - didn’t
sit well with the Federal
Government
• This stopped a potential deal
and they walked out at the
start of the summer
• This contravened a Federal
Law, stopping government
employees from going on
strike

12. What did Reagan do?
• “If you do not return
to work within 48
hrs, your contract
will be terminated”
• He was a man of his
word and this
shocked the strikers -
they were also given
a life long
employment ban!

13. How did the USA react?
• Little sympathy - they were a well paid
group of workers
• Although PATCO condemned Reagan as
a union buster - they other unions were
annoyed that PATCO had acted illegally.
• PATCO was destroyed because it’s
leaders were sent to prison and heavy
fines were imposed.

14. Outcomes - how much of
a change?
• Hostility of the Reagan administration to
the unions
• Deployment of ‘scab’ labour to keep the
planes flying
• Lack of unity with other workers/
unions
• Negativity of public opinion towards
PATCO