Andrew E. Busch is Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College and the author of Reagan’s Victory and Truman’s Triumphs, both from Kansas.

Ronald Reagan’s 1981 confrontation with the nation’s air traffic controllers looms as one of the most significant events in both labor and presidential history. In this compact and highly readable treatment, eminent political scientist Andrew Busch brings fresh analysis to this turning-point episode and illuminates why its influence still resonates more than four decades later.""—Joseph A. McCartin, author of Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America""Busch has written an engaging and accessible case study that has great cross-discipline appeal. It’s a must-read for students of the US presidency!""—Marcus Witcher, author of Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980–2016""This book is a balanced and perceptive analysis of a pivotal moment in the Reagan presidency. With keen insight and thorough research, Andrew Busch tells why Reagan broke the PATCO strike, and how he made his decision stick. The book also offers a deep and nuanced look at the decision’s long-term consequences, both at home and abroad. Ronald Reagan and the Firing of the Air Traffic Controllers is essential reading for anybody who wants to understand the politics of the 1980s.""—John J. Pitney Jr., author of After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election

• Acronyms and InitialismsForeword by Lori Cox HanAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Setting2. The Cast of Characters3. Presidential Decision4. Political Reaction5. ConsequencesConclusionAppendix A. Timeline: Ronald Reagan and the PATCO StrikeAppendix B. Ronald Reagan Letter to Robert E. Poli, President of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, October 20, 1981NotesBibliographic EssayIndex

Andrew E. Busch is Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College and the author of Reagan’s Victory and Truman’s Triumphs, both from Kansas.

Ronald Reagan’s 1981 confrontation with the nation’s air traffic controllers looms as one of the most significant events in both labor and presidential history. In this compact and highly readable treatment, eminent political scientist Andrew Busch brings fresh analysis to this turning-point episode and illuminates why its influence still resonates more than four decades later.""—Joseph A. McCartin, author of Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America""Busch has written an engaging and accessible case study that has great cross-discipline appeal. It’s a must-read for students of the US presidency!""—Marcus Witcher, author of Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980–2016""This book is a balanced and perceptive analysis of a pivotal moment in the Reagan presidency. With keen insight and thorough research, Andrew Busch tells why Reagan broke the PATCO strike, and how he made his decision stick. The book also offers a deep and nuanced look at the decision’s long-term consequences, both at home and abroad. Ronald Reagan and the Firing of the Air Traffic Controllers is essential reading for anybody who wants to understand the politics of the 1980s.""—John J. Pitney Jr., author of After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election

• Acronyms and InitialismsForeword by Lori Cox HanAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Setting2. The Cast of Characters3. Presidential Decision4. Political Reaction5. ConsequencesConclusionAppendix A. Timeline: Ronald Reagan and the PATCO StrikeAppendix B. Ronald Reagan Letter to Robert E. Poli, President of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, October 20, 1981NotesBibliographic EssayIndex

Andrew E. Busch is Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College and the author of Reagan’s Victory and Truman’s Triumphs, both from Kansas.

Ronald Reagan’s 1981 confrontation with the nation’s air traffic controllers looms as one of the most significant events in both labor and presidential history. In this compact and highly readable treatment, eminent political scientist Andrew Busch brings fresh analysis to this turning-point episode and illuminates why its influence still resonates more than four decades later.""—Joseph A. McCartin, author of Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America""Busch has written an engaging and accessible case study that has great cross-discipline appeal. It’s a must-read for students of the US presidency!""—Marcus Witcher, author of Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980–2016""This book is a balanced and perceptive analysis of a pivotal moment in the Reagan presidency. With keen insight and thorough research, Andrew Busch tells why Reagan broke the PATCO strike, and how he made his decision stick. The book also offers a deep and nuanced look at the decision’s long-term consequences, both at home and abroad. Ronald Reagan and the Firing of the Air Traffic Controllers is essential reading for anybody who wants to understand the politics of the 1980s.""—John J. Pitney Jr., author of After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election

• Acronyms and InitialismsForeword by Lori Cox HanAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Setting2. The Cast of Characters3. Presidential Decision4. Political Reaction5. ConsequencesConclusionAppendix A. Timeline: Ronald Reagan and the PATCO StrikeAppendix B. Ronald Reagan Letter to Robert E. Poli, President of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, October 20, 1981NotesBibliographic EssayIndex