Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 air-traffic controllers (1981)
I find the whole situation really interesting for so many reasons. The fact that the strike was against the law is one of them. However, the most interesting part to me is that it highlights the core dynamics involved in a union. Specifically, the idea behind a union is that it changes the power dynamic; by organizing and working together, the employees try to level the power imbalance between employer and employees.A strike is a particularly clear manifestation of that idea; the employees are saying "give us this, because if you don't we won't work... and you can't just fire us all as it will be catastrophic for you". And it is a powerful manifestation of that, and has a history of working well for the employees.However, in this case, the "employer" has nearly unlimited resources. And the answer to the statement of "you can't just fire us all" was.. "You are incorrect. You did not put enough thought into your position in all this. You are fired... and blacklisted". Regardless of the side you fall on as to whether the reaction was appropriate or not, it did shine a spotlight on the fact that every union is in a different position, and all factors must be considered before resorting to a "might makes right" action (which is what a strike is, even if it was right before might is taken into consideration).