Looking back, was Reagan's move to bust the air traffic controllers union a good thing?

Question

It led to the break up the shoe salesmen union and all the others. Only the teachers and government employees can strike anything now. Not good for me, dang it.

Answer 1

That's a really interesting question. Nice job by you.

It certainly changed the climate of labor relations in this country. You are right -- organized labor certainly has lost a lot of its willingness to strike. Hard to say if that's good or not, and that's speaking as a union member.

It might have been done better at the time, as you could argue that it put air traffic at risk for a while. But it did give Reagan an image of leadership, which helped him down the road in all of his political action.

In other words, results are mixed.

Answer 2

Well, he got away with it.

Nothing succeeds like success.

Answer 3

Yes, that was a good one. It started the process and sealed the doom of collective bargaining. That is what was great about Reagan, he could sell regrigerators to Eskimoes. His acting abilities were grossly underrated. He should have received an Oscar. The biggest joke is that he knew absolutely nothing about economics, accounting or markets. Absolutely clueless.

But I did, how do you like me now? Haaaa ha ha ha. Payback is h**l, isn't it?

Answer 4

I was working for a TV station when all that happened.  We had just joined IOTSE, a very strong union and had got a big pay increase.  But most of the guys and a few of the women were big Reagan supporters.  He had the country hypnotyzed very much like the present administration does.  Reagan said he was lowering taxes but he actually raised them overall by taking away all tax decductions except home mortgages - and everybody just bobbed their heads because he waved the flag.  When COngress specifically voted to NOT allow funding of for or against the war in Nicaragua, Reagan priavtely sold missles to IRan to raise funds for a private army of thugs and terrorists to cause terror in Nicaragua.  Congress held hearings, a few of his staff were indigted and excused and everyone just bobbed their heads because he had a grandfatherly persona.  His administration introduced "deficit spending" as a way to run government and everyone just bobbed thier heads because Reagan could tell a good story.

Now we're broke, have very little honor in the world, are deeply in debt to CHina (a Communist country.  Hows that for irony?)

Apparently people in this country don't care if you rip them off, lie to them, cheat them, run the country into the ground as long as you can tell a good story, and wave the flag.

P.S. Unions haven't helped themselves very much either.   Many unions are in with management and work out their deals through them and then announce what's on the table to theh members.  Union memebers need to take back unions form the fat and lazy and make them relivant to what's going on today - loss of jobs.  Spread out from just your job into the marketplace.  Threaten not just a strike if jobs are lost, but a nationwide boycott of the company.