I admired Reagan for doing that. I was proud finally in my lifetime see a real man of principle show that it could be done.
Been a long, a very long time since this country has seen something like this.
However, as Reagan himself said, he didn’t fire them ... “they quit.”
ALL government unions need killing, at all levels of government. Just look at all the bankrupt cities. No one represents the taxpaying citizens in those criminal conspiracies that gang rape the taxpayers.
Leading up to the strike the controllers did a lot of stupid crap.
For example, telling me to do a 360 in place in my 172 with a student next to me 10 miles in trail of a lone 727 on final to a large airport. For “spacing”.
Not another airplane in the sky that Sunday morning.
Or asking an Eastern jet to slow to 180 knots 70 miles north of the airport crossing a fix on the arrival route. The captain of that flight didn’t hesitate to tell them what he thought of that stupid stunt.
On the morning of the strike, we flew a twin over to the big airport. Only supervisors on the frequency. They said, “make right base traffic and you’re cleared to land”...15 miles out.
Then nothing else. Just fly your airplane, you’re the Pilot in Command, Big Guy. So do.
How refreshing.
Somewhere in between armies of unionized line controllers and a few high capability supervisors is the right number.
But the PATCO controllers really screwed the pooch cuz they had no clue where that line was, and how useless a lot of their guys were.
This was a huge moment, it was the first(?) of our our “holy cow batman, this guy is the real deal!” moments.
People who don’t remember probably can’t imagine the shock we all felt at this boldness, and the wild cheering by so many of us, most Americans had long ago given up that such things could even be done.
It is ironic that PATCO actually endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1980 as did a fair number of unions. Even the National Maritime Union, NMU, whose executive board in the late 1930’s were card carrying members of the Communist Party USA.
I believe the Teamsters also endorse Reagan that year as did a number of the building trades unions.
Since then of course the union leadership at least at the national level has moved sharply to the left. But I should add that there are plenty of union members that are very conservative. The president of one bargaining unit in the SEIU is a FREEPER (me).
In 1981, President Reagan broke PATCO’s back. Since 2008, the Administration, aka RATCO, has been breaking America’s back!
Brings back pleasant memories of the 1980s. A time when former PATCO workers would deliver my pizzas, fetch my fast food orders and wash my car.