How did Ronald Reagan bust the airline pilots union?
President Reagan
busted the air traffic controllers union, not the pilots union.
Federal members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers
Organization went on strike in 1981 violating a federal law
prohibiting government unions from striking. President Reagan
stated that if the air traffic controllers "do not report for work
within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be
terminated." When they did not return to work, President Reagan
carried out his threat. He fired 11,345 striking air traffic
controllers who had ignored his order. He used supervisors and
military controllers to handle the nation's commercial air traffic
until new controllers could be hired and trained.