Ronald Reagan, upon taking office, signed a collective dismissal letter and 11,359 individual dismissals for the long-striking American air traffic controllers. A special law granted himself powers of intervention, then gave the air traffic controllers a week to return to work. After that deadline, he fired them all. According to the law, they could no longer be rehired by any federal agency. They were replaced with military personnel. Many air traffic controllers were later reinstated, but only one by one: they signed individual contracts requiring them to give up significant economic privileges, and above all, the right to stop work at will. This would send a strong signal to social relations and the American economy: no corporation could ever again jeopardize the collective interest.
