Excerpt from Ronald Reagan’s Speech on the Air Traffic Controllers Strike, 1981
This morning at 7 a.m. the union representing those who man America's air traffic control facilities called a strike. This was the culmination of 7 months of negotiations between the Federal Aviation Administration and the union. At one point in these negotiations agreement was reached and signed by both sides, granting a $40 million increase in salaries and benefits. This is twice what other government employees can expect. It was granted in recognition of the difficulties inherent in the work these people perform. Now, however, the union demands are 17 times what had been agreed to—$681 million. This would impose a tax burden on their fellow citizens which is unacceptable.
. . .
Let me make one thing plain. I respect the right of workers in the private sector to strike. Indeed, as president of my own union, I led the first strike ever called by that union. I guess I'm maybe the first one to ever hold this office who is a lifetime member of an AFL-CIO union. But we cannot compare labor-management relations in the private sector with government. Government cannot close down the assembly line. It has to provide without interruption the protective services which are government's reason for being.
. . .
I must tell those who fail to report for duty this morning they are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.
Use the excerpt from the speech on the air traffic controllers strike to answer the question.
Using the excerpt from Reagan's speech about air traffic controllers, answer (a), (b), and (c).
In 1–2 sentences, explain is the primary purpose of this speech.
In 2–3 sentences, describe the rationale Reagan provides for his proposed actions.
In 1–2 sentences, identify the ultimate outcome of the situation Reagan describes in the speech.
(a) The primary purpose of this speech is to address and condemn the strike called by the union representing air traffic controllers and to announce the proposed course of action in response to the strike.
(b) Reagan provides the rationale for his proposed actions by arguing that the demands of the union are too high and would place an unacceptable tax burden on the citizens of the country. He also distinguishes labor-management relations in government from those in the private sector, arguing that the government cannot close down necessary services and must prioritize providing protection to its citizens.
(c) The ultimate outcome of the situation Reagan describes in the speech is that the air traffic controllers who do not report for work within 48 hours will be terminated. This marks the beginning of a larger crackdown on organized labor during the Reagan presidency.