ATCs are government employees, not in industry. And they belonged to a union, through which they engaged in collective bargaining (as is their right, under fede

ATCs are government employees, not in industry. And they belonged to a union, through which they engaged in collective bargaining (as is their right, under federal law). The actual circumstances of their firing are worth reading about: striking is legal for unions except for unions of government employees, for whom it is explicitly illegal. What makes the situation unusual is the extreme response by the Reagan administration.