Case Study: The 1981 Air Traffic Controllers Strike and Negotiations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the 1981 Air Traffic Controllers Strike, focusing on the ethical and legal aspects of the events. The introduction sets the stage by defining air traffic controlling laws and their importance. The main body delves into the case scenario, examining the actions of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) union and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), including Robert Poli's negotiation attempts and the subsequent strike. The report addresses key questions, such as the fairness of the union's negotiation tactics, the government's response, and the fault in the negotiation breakdown. It explores ethical codes of conduct, distributive and integrative bargaining strategies, and the legal implications of the strike. The analysis concludes with reflections on what could have been done better by both PATCO and the government, offering insights into the handling of labor disputes and the importance of ethical considerations in negotiation. The report references several books and journals to support its findings.

The 1981 Air Traffic Controllers Strike

INTRODCTION....................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Did the union use “fair” or “ethical” negotiation tactics? Explain.........................................4
Was the government’s response to the strike fair and appropriate? Explain.........................5
Who was at fault in this negotiation breakdown and why?....................................................5
What do you think could have been done better by the PATCO? By the Government?.......5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................7

INTRODCTION
Air traffic controlling laws are the laws that has been formed in order to make sure that
all the flights is been operating within the diameters of air boundaries of a country. These laws
has been dealing with rules and regulations regarding air boundaries with guidelines prescribed
for an country to make sure that all flying vehicles follow safety rules to avoid any kind of
accident to take place. They are important to maintain discipline and order for airport to fly there
flights. Scope of such laws are wider in nature as they makes sure that all operations of air traffic
is performed in better manner. This file is based over a case study of 1981 Air Traffic Controllers
Strike. Also question is to be answered regarding case study.
MAIN BODY
Case scenario: In this case the year of 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controller Organization
union went on strike against Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the United States. Every
aircraft controller working under federal agency has walked off the job. Also the union leader
representative, Robert Poli had spent several months attempting to negotiate a new labour
management contract with the FAA. Then a tentative agreement was formed between
overwhelming 90% of its members. Poli returned to the negotiating table to get a better package
from the FAA. Poli again returned table for offering of better package from FAA. This was done
to create negotiation. FAA is now dug over heels and refuses for offering more concessions with
improvement existing with offer in future. As two weeks talks between two parties. Poli
instructed PATCO took action over strike and members against FAA. Going on strike is
normally fine in most circumstances, but here is where Poli exceeded his authority. The contract
that had been signed previously with the FAA strictly prohibited a strike action, and deemed that
any such strike action as illegal( McGiffen, 2018).
In this case main things that come are as follows:
1. All strike controller was fired immediately form job.
2. Federal injunction against strike has been obtained both union and leaders were fined
several millions dollar per day for violation to be done.
3. Some union leaders were thrown into prison.
4. Financial accounts of union were also taken into custody.

5. Striking controller’s employment were also taken from them. It was only in 1993 that
President Clinton come into power that has been controlling and declare no re hiring
could be there and this was done after 12 years.
Answer all the questions related to case law as follows:
Did the union use “fair” or “ethical” negotiation tactics? Explain.
Ethical code of conduct are the laws that has been formed in order to make sure discipline
and order is maintained within society. This code of conduct is very effective and efficient as it
helps in creating positivity in business environment. Such laws applied within an organization
leads over forming strong network which helps in applying of various policies within an
organization possible. These code of conduct consists of various kinds of important aspects
within it that has been explained as follows:
 A code of ethics sets out an organization's ethical guidelines and best practices to
follow for honesty, integrity, and professionalism.
 For members of an organization, violating the code of ethics can result in sanction
including termination.
 In some industries, including banking and finance, specific laws govern business
conduct.
Ethical laws are referred to those laws which guide about ethical principles helpful in
guiding an organization regarding its operations. Common issues which is faced during
applicability of this code includes employer-employee relations, discrimination, environmental
issues, bribery and insider trading, and social responsibility. Various laws exists that provides
base to set ethical standard in business community. This is dependent over business and
leadership as they play important role in ethics formation within an organization. Trade
organizations also consists of various kinds of code required to be followed by every member of
an organization. If these code are brooked in any manner may result into termination of
employees or event dismissal from the organization. Ethical code of conduct is one of the most
effective form of law that has been used to make sure that all aspects to make business
environment positive is achieved.
In this above mentioned case scenario it can be observed that clause mentioned within the
agreement is not considered to be a valid clause because it takes away basic rights of employees
to raise their voice against any kind of issues in an organization. So, it is violation of ethical code
of conduct and basic right of labour also (Camus, 2020).

Was the government’s response to the strike fair and appropriate? Explain.
It can be observed from the above case scenario that government has not handled the case
in proper manner because they did not look into case and gave decision in favor of airlines which
resulted into job loss off employees. Also it was the responsibility of government to seek that no
employee loos its job. The government should have focused over negotiation in order to make
sure that an alternative way would have been searched to make work to be completed. There are
two types of negotiation that is distributive and integrated. In these bargaining strategies
distributive bargaining other party is not taken within consideration when making deal over.
Simply loosing less than other party and focus is to make better deal with other side. In relation
to integrative bargaining assumption is made to both the parties needed to feel as if they have
given up within equal amount. They also equally complete a deal with distributive bargaining
that is often filled with conflict through both parties and maintain position for attempt of losing
less. In distributive bargaining there is only conflict as both parties maintain intractable position
in attempt to lose less than other side. Integrative bargaining is typically less fraught with tension
as both sides enter within negotiation to achieve ethical code of conduct in proper manner (Byrne
and Broach, 2017).
From the above case scenario it can be observed that government was very late in taking
decision and too decision without understanding that weather employees are facing any trouble
or not.
Who was at fault in this negotiation breakdown and why?
Poli was at fault as he was trying to get the agreement to be done within the most effective and
efficient manner. Poli did this to make positive impact and stop strike. He is fault because
negotiation was not proper between two parties. It shows that negotiation would have been
effective only when communication would have been executed in proper manner. This would
have made Poli creative positive impact upon FAA. Also Poli followed all kinds of tactics to
negotiate but he was not successful in achieving target set by him (Broach, 2017).
What do you think could have been done better by the PATCO? By the Government?
Government is required to follow various ethics and standards to maintain more discipline
within an organization. In this case within in my opinion government would have used labor
laws in order to fight for the rights of labor. Also various other laws like wages act would have
been used to give them their job backs.

CONCLUSION
For the above file it can be concluded that air control laws are those laws that has been
considered to be an effective in terms of making sure that all kinds of elements disturbing air
traffic has been eradicated and punishment is also prescribed for ones who break the laws. Also
in this file case study is given that is based over strike done by employees against FAA. Then
question reading it has been asked within which ethical code of conduct is explained and then
two kinds of negotiation with their difference is explained. In the my view point about what
government would have done is explained.

REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Broach, D., 2017. A Singular Success: Air Traffic Control Specialist Selection 1981–. Human
factors impacts in air traffic management.
Byrne, C.L. and Broach, D., 2017. 5 The utility of aptitude in the placement of new air traffic
controllers. Advances in Aviation Psychology, Volume 2: Using Scientific Methods to
Address Practical Human Factors Needs. p.87.
Camus, A., 2020. TEENY PUNKS: PIONEER YOUR OWN CULTURE!(1980–1981). We're
Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s
America. p.11.
McGiffen, S., 2018. EU right to strike threat. Guardian (Sydney). (1807), p.8.
Pardlo, G., 2018, January. Double Dutch. In New Labor Forum (Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 138-139).
Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Poole, R.W., 2019. Air Traffic Control as a Quasi-Private Corporation. In Public Private
Partnerships (pp. 89-111). Springer, Cham.\
Reynolds, C.V., 2018. Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America. Network
Journal, 25(2). pp.58-58.
Walker, A.N., 2016. The Historical Presidency:“The Fibre of which Presidents Ought to Be
Made”: Union Busting from Rutherford Hayes to Scott Walker. Presidential Studies
Quarterly. 46(1). pp.194-207.
Yellin, E.S., 2019. OF FREEDOM AND FEMINISM IN CIVIL WAR WASHINGTON: This
Grand Experiment: When Women Entered the Federal Workforce in Civil War-Era
Washington, DC. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. 18(1). pp.144-145.