Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization or PATCO was a labor union that once represented air traffic controllers in the United States in matters relating to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.

It was initially founded in 1968 and succeeded in being recognized as a collective bargaining agent in 1969, after a brief labor stoppage referred to as the "sick-out". To circumvent the federal law against strikes by government unions, numerous controllers called in sick. After a few days the federal courts intervened and most controllers went back to work by order of the court, but the government was forced to the bargaining table. The controllers won substantial pay raises (about triple their previous pay).

In the 1980 presidential election, PATCO, the Teamsters and several other AFL-CIO unions departed from their usual practice of backing Democrats by endorsing Ronald Reagan.

On August 3, 1981 the union declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek. In doing so, the union violated a 1955 law {5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p.} that banned strikes by government unions. However, several government unions (including one representing employees of the Postal Service) had declared strikes in the intervening period without penalties. Ronald Reagan, now President, subsequently declared the PATCO strike a peril to national safety, and ordered them back to work under the terms of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. About 38% returned to work. PATCO thought it could shut down the national air system, causing upwards of $150 million a day in damages. Reagan gave them 48 hours to return, knowing that Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis had secretly trained replacements and the airplanes kept flying at 80% of normal.

On August 5, following their refusal, Reagan fired the 11,359 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and permanently banned them from federal service. They were replaced initially with nonparticipating controllers, supervisors, staff personnel, some nonrated personnel, and in some cases by controllers transferred temporarily from other facilities. Some military controllers were also used until replacements could be trained. It proved the most stunning defeat for unions in 60 years. While some former controllers were subsequently rehired, they and their replacements are now represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which was organized in 1987 and has no direct connection with PATCO.

PATCO is now formed as the "Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, Inc." a not-for-profit organization that represents the interests of the PATCO strikers. It continues to fight the FAA on the lockout and age discrimination of the strikers since the ban was lifted by President Clinton on August 12, 1993.

See also

• Air traffic controller
• Air traffic controllers' strike of 1981

External links

• PATCO Web Site
• PATCO Official Private Forum
• PATCO Documentary: Causes and Legacies of the 1981 Strike in progress

References

• Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Records, 1968-1982. Georgia State University W. R. The University Library, Special Collections and Archives Department. 25.75 linear ft.in 52 boxes. Manuscript Collection No. L1986-45. Online guide retrieved April 27, 2005.