Remember When: The Day They Silenced the Controllers

They kept the skies safe. They managed one of the most mentally exhausting jobs in America. Then, in the fall of 1981, the federal government tore up their union.

On August 3, 1981, members of PATCO, the union representing air traffic controllers, walked off the job over long hours, understaffing, working conditions, and pay. President Reagan gave them 48 hours to return, then fired more than 11,000 who didn’t and barred them from rehire by the FAA. On October 22, 1981, the Federal Labor Relations Authority decertified the union. That was 45 years ago today.

The ban on rehiring lasted until 1993, when President Clinton lifted it. By then, many of those controllers had spent more than a decade building new careers.

Many historians see PATCO as a turning point for organized labor. Union membership has fallen from about 20% of workers in the early 1980s to about 10% today, and workers in warehouses, hospitals, and classrooms are still fighting for fair pay and safe conditions.

Leading Ladies Vote believes every worker deserves a voice. That belief doesn’t expire. Neither does our vote.