Reagan Fires Air Traffic Controllers (1981)

This Day in Esoteric Political History

Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia

History

4.6 • 982 Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2021

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s August 5th. This day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers, who had gone on strike over failed negotiations for a new contract. In addition to firing them, he banned the workers from ever holding federal jobs again.

Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how this moment reflected and shifted a moment when American unions were in decline and employers — both at the federal and private level — were being emboldened in their negotiations with workers.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.
0:07.8	My name is Jody Abergan.
0:11.3	This day August 5, 1981 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers
0:18.5	who had ignored his order to return to work after going on strike or enacting a labor sit-out overstalled contract
0:26.1	negotiations. So just like that, the President fires 11,000 people and 11,000 air traffic
0:31.9	controllers did not show up for their jobs.
0:34.1	Their jobs of course are helping planes get around and so that's a big deal.
0:38.8	It certainly slowed down air travel on that day, though maybe it didn't completely cripple the system in the way
0:45.1	that the strikers had forecast and threatened.
0:48.1	But look, this is a really interesting moment that says a lot about the power or lack thereof of
0:52.4	federal workers, labor and the way it
0:55.7	changed under the Reagan Revolution so here to discuss as always are Nicole Hammer of
1:00.6	Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wesley.
1:03.2	Hello there.
1:04.2	Hi Jody.
1:05.2	Hey there.
1:06.3	So Nicki, I grew up in a pro-union household.
1:10.6	People will be shocked to hear that.
1:12.2	And I remember sort of like every once in a while,
1:14.7	you know, my parents and people in those circles just sort of saying,
1:19.1	yeah Reagan, you know, broke up the air traffic union
1:21.9	and fired workers and that was like you know a big
	...

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