Since I was speaking about NPR a few days ago, I had to laugh at this segment from Jon Stewart’s Daily Show speaking about the “scandal” at NPR this week. For those of you who love NPR, you should really be LOL and rolling on the ground at the 3:47 minute mark. I believe the impersonation was spot on!
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Quoting Reagan:
Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost.
As Paul Harvey would say ... here's the rest of the story. Regan's speech was on 9/1/80, labor day and the kickoff to his campaign (after winning the GOP spot). So labor was the theme of the speech. Here's the link with the text and the speech, see clip 2, 7 min. He was referring to the people of Poland and the brutally of the ruler and the uprising of it's people
ReplyDelete"These are the values inspiring those brave workers in Poland. The values that have inspired other dissidents under Communist domination who have been willing to go into the Gulag and suffer the torture of imprisonment because of their dissidence. They remind us that where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost. They remind us that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Forbidden is the key word. See my next post.
Did Reagan "forbid unions", NO. Did he flip flop "for and against unions", NO. The strike was determined to be ILLEGAL, disagreeing is one thing but a public/federal employee striking was was against the law. Just because no other official had taken a stance does not make that right. (should I mention that Reagan was a union president?) Great story by NPR w/ clips, take the time and read/listen. NPR says
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5604656
Aug. 3, 1981: About 13,000 PATCO members go on strike after unsuccessful contract negotiations. In doing so, the union technically violates a 1955 law that bans strikes by government unions. (Several government unions had previously declared strikes without penalties.) President Ronald Reagan declares the PATCO strike a "peril to national safety" and orders the controllers back to work.
Reagan warns that striking is illegal for public employees, and that anyone who does not return to work within 48 hours will be terminated. A federal judge finds PATCO President Robert Poli to be in contempt of court, and the union is ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for each day its members are on strike. About 7,000 flights are canceled.
Aug. 5, 1981: Most striking air-traffic controllers are fired. Reagan bans them from ever being rehired by the FAA. They are initially replaced by controllers, supervisors and staff personnel not participating in the strike and in some cases, by military controllers.
Oct. 22, 1981: The Federal Labor Relations Authority de-certifies PATCO. Later, new air-traffic controllers, hired in the wake of the strike, organize a new union to represent them, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
Reagan did not "forbid" unions as shown in the clip nor did he flip flop. Were good people affected by his decision, yes but they did that of their own choice or by direction of their union leaders. Nothing stopped them from going back to work and the ATC formed another union.
So the laugh is on those who believe in Sound Bites. Reagan was a great man, great president and that's what makes him "Rawhide"!