There were several air crashes blamed on pilot error that suspiciously appeared to have been caused by the incompetents hired after Reagan destroyed PATCO.
In case anyone forgets, PATCO was concerned about air safety which was directly linked to their work hours.
BTW, where were the Democrats on the PATCO strike?
The Air Traffic Controllers' Strike of 1981
By: Nick BucherThe air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 has been viewed as one of the major labor strikes in recent history. This labor strike showed the members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association's (PATCO) concern with the working conditions they were provided with by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). This strike was not a strike of abruptness and without warning. PATCO had been having problems and complaints with how the FAA was running their operations and treating their employees many years before this actual strike. The FAA's inability to recognize and act upon these complaints over time played a major role in PATCO's strong stand and eventual strike. According to Joe Simonetta of Hoover's Manufacturing and Industry team, "The air traffic control strike of 1981 has become a symbol of the decline of organized labor in the U.S. (2000)"
According to the Workmen's Circle Arbeter Ring, "The Air Traffic Controllers' (ATC) strike of 1981 marked a symbolic turning point in labor management relations (1997)." On August 3, 1981 almost 13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike after months of negotiations with the federal government. During these contract talks, Robert Poli, president of PATCO, explained the union's three major demands as a $10,000 across the board raise, a 32-hour work week (down from 40), and a better retirement package. While the press mainly concentrated on the demand for a pay raise, other commentators and reporters began to realize that this walkout was not solely, or even primarily, an economic issue. According to the essay written by Pels, Newsweek noted, "controllers concede their chief complaint was not money, but hours, working conditions, and a lack of recognition for the pressures they face (1995)." By saying this, PATCO members were hoping to relieve members of the FAA and encourage them to negotiate these issues in order to reach an agreement. Even with the issue of salary lowered from the top of their list, such views had little impact on the negotiations. So according to McLaughlin, "One of the most important thing Ronald Reagan did during his presidency was break the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike, which helped break the hold of organized labor over the U.S. economy (1999)." Pels states, "48 Hours after the walkout, he proceeded to fire the 11,350 ATC's (almost 70% of the workforce) who had not returned to work. In case the message was still unclear, he declared a lifetime ban on the rehiring of the strikers by the FAA (1995)."
The main issue most people failed to see surrounding the strike was control of the workplace. Many historians have debated whether workplace control is still a key issue in late twentieth century management-worker relations. This strike between the two groups did not just come out of nowhere. Struggles between the FAA and PATCO had been going on ever since PATCO's formation in 1968. Pels claims, "The PATCO controversy is particularly useful in illustrating such an assessment of how factors such as technological advances and the discourse and substance of labor-management bargaining since World War II have served to mask the ongoing struggle between the FAA and the air traffic controllers, which is often to the disadvantage of the workers involved (1995)." First, both parties' main goal is to assure the maximum safety of air travel. This leads to suspect that management's search for profits and workers' search for job satisfaction is not the factor for the division of the two groups. Second, the FAA possessed a monopoly over the training and hiring of air traffic controllers (except for a small percentage who worked for the military). Since this was the case, most ATC's had little choice but to work for the government. They therefore had a large stake in work conditions and benefits. The same factors gave the FAA a stronger force in dealing with its workforce. Third, the majority of controllers found their work very challenging, exciting, and interesting. This indicates that the complaints from the controllers must have run deeper than unhappiness with the occupation itself. Finally, the advancement of technology played a key role in both the cause and the resolution of the strike. With the advancement of equipment came greater air traffic volume and increased demands on ATC capabilities made possible by this new technology. Along with this came faulty equipment and autocratic management that limited workplace independence. Combining all of this came the ATC's singling out stress as their primary motive for striking. Yet neither PATCO nor the controllers made this connection explicit or strongly challenged management privilege to decide the nature and purpose of computers in air towers (Pels, 1995).
The FAA commissioned a study in 1972 headed by Dr. Robert Rose, known as the Rose Report, which found the job of an air traffic controller was not stressful within itself. However, the researchers found that many of the stresses related with the job, indicated by high levels of drinking and depression, were due to autocratic management and a system, which included little reward and a fear of burnout. I think this can be argued as very true today in the 21st century. With the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, I could definitely see the stresses related to the job causing major concerns for not only the controllers and pilots of the plains, but also their families as well. The contrast I can see is that advancement in the overall technology and security throughout the airports show me that the FAA is definitely looking into the interests of their employees. Controllers began to notice that these stresses were not only affecting their job performance but also their life away from work. Working 6 days a week and 10 hours a day at times disrupted their family life at home. These controllers were not just striking for higher wages, but also improved equipment, which could very possibly lead to fewer hours. This would enable them to spend more time at home and enjoy much less disruption from their everyday life as a family. Even with the findings of the Rose Report, FAA officials continued to ignore these conclusions. On top of all this, the FAA was demanding that controllers handle increasing traffic loads with staffing that was already below the agency's own standards. Then even when the union pointed out the problem, the FAA revised its facility staffing standards to legitimize the situation.
http://www.stfrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/atcstrike.htm
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