In 1981, the union of federal air traffic controllers went on strike, mounting a direct challenge to the authority of Ronald Reagan, the new-elected American President.
Reagan issued an ultimatum: Return to work in the next 48 hours or face the sack.
The union defied him and, as a result, he fired all 11,345 striking air traffic controllers.
What is the relevance of this little history lesson? (To read more, click here.)
