PATCO Strike Changed America, Sheds Light on U.S. Today
 |
When 12,000 U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike 30 years ago, Ronald Reagan threatened that if they were not back on the job in 48 hours, they would be fired. Two days later, 11,000 of them, all members of PATCO, were terminated and permanently replaced. The PATCO strike not only changed the lives of those involved, who were unable to ever work again in their field, it proved to be a key turning point in this nation for workers seeking a voice at their workplaces, according to Georgetown University professor Joseph McCartin.
Speaking last night as part of a Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor panel at Georgetown, McCartin said the PATCO strike resulted in a fundamental shift in workers’ ability to utilize the strike, widely recognized as workers’ most effective tool in seeking a fair shake on the job. After PATCO, employers were emboldened to replace strikers and, in turn, workers waged fewer and fewer walkouts. By 2010, there were only 11 strikes involving 1,000 or more workers, compared with 222 such strikes in 1960—a 95 percent drop in walkouts. As the ability to successfully strike decreased, so did workers’ strength at the workplace and their numbers in unions. As McCartin summed up:
Ever since a Supreme Court ruling in 1938 in the Mackay case, private-sector employers knew that they had the legal right to replace workers in most strikes. But until 1981 few were willing to risk the conflict and public disapproval that might come from doing so.
Reagan’s firing of the PATCO strikers, which the public initially strongly supported, helped break that barrier of reticence.
McCartin, author of the newly published book, Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers and the Strike that Changed America, was joined by several former PATCO Read the rest of this entry »
Air Traffic Controllers Help You Avoid Airline Delays
 |
|
Here’s a way to avoid delays at the airport when you head off for vacation this summer. The Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) reminds travelers about the union’s great site: http://AvoidDelays.com.
Launched in 2006, AvoidDelays.com is the first tool of its kind to help the flying public. Using a mix of historical and live flight data directly from the Department of Transportation, the website provides information on which airports have a history of delays and how to get avoid getting stuck in an airport when you really would rather be on the beach or touring a European capital.
The site has continued to be a great resource, whether you have already purchased your ticket or are waiting to find the best deal. It’s user-friendly and provides an interactive function that allows travelers to check rankings before they book a flight and check flight status on the day they fly.
Mediation Board Proposes Changes to Democratize Union Elections at Airlines, Rail
Bt a 2-to-1 margin, the National Mediation Board (NMB) says it’s time to bring democracy and majority rule to rail and airline workers voting whether to join a union.
The NMB today proposed changes to airline and rail election rules to mirror the rules that govern every other democratic election—the outcome is decided by the side that receives the majority of votes cast. Under current rules, every worker who does not cast a vote is counted as a vote against forming a union.
Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), says the NMB’s proposed changes are “fair and sensible.”
The deck is currently stacked against airline and railroad workers. The NMB is proposing new rules that would finally permit airline and rail workers to vote for unions under the same standards found everywhere else in our system of democracy. With this change, never again will workers in these industries seeking to form a union be thwarted by such un-democratic rules.
Former AFA-CWA President Tabbed for NMB Post
Linda Puchala, former president of the Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), was nominated Friday by President Obama for a seat on the National Mediation Board (NMB). She currently serves as a senior mediator with the NMB and was AFA-CWA president from 1979 to 1986.
Current AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend says Puchala’s
consensus-building skills and commitment to the collective bargaining process will be a valuable addition to the agency, which is so critical to labor relations in the aviation and railway industries. There are difficult issues in front of us in both industries so we urge the Senate to move promptly to confirm Ms. Puchala so that we can look to a board functioning in every respect for guidance and assistance.
Help Locked-Out Workers Get Through the Holidays, and More Bargaining News
Workers locked out at Progress Casting in Minnesota need your help for the holidays—and more news here from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS
GMP, Progress Casting: Many workers locked out since Oct. 27 from Progress Casting in Plymouth, Minn., are struggling to make ends meet as the holidays approach—and their health care coverage has been cut. Please support our brothers and sisters in their battle. The workers are represented by the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers (GMP) Local 63B, and the union has set up a fund to assist members. Donations may be sent to “GMP 63B Relief Fund,” 2520 Kennedy St., N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55413. Supporters also are asked to write Progress Casting to urge an end to the lockout. Send letters to Bill Bieber (owner) or Tim Meador (general manager), Progress Casting, 2600 Niagara Lane N., Plymouth, MN 55447.
