Related Articles
Page 2 of 6
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6
1980-1986 Hanging On - Labor in the Reagan Era
President Reagan addressing the 1982 AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference. President Pillard is seated third from Reagan's right. The caption accompanying this photo when it appeared in the April '82 IBEW Journal read in part, "The president spoke for 30 minutes and drew only mild applause from the delegates."
In his keynote address to the IBEW’s 32nd International Convention held in Los Angeles in 1982, International President Charles Pillard underscored labor’s position iii the early ‘80s. He said, “Now we must gear ourselves to make the same fight that so many of our gallant pioneer members were compelled to make so often during the first 40 years of our proud history, years in which our country was dominated by those who placed greed and profits above the welfare of people.” Not all working people in the United States reacted negatively to president Reagan. Many people responded to the patriotic images he projected. Many IBEW members, especially those who worked in the defense industry, were grateful for the jobs created to build up America’s armed forces. And, as a whole, post-Vietnam, post-Watergate, post-Iranian Hostage Crisis America seemed to be relieved by Reagan’s emphasis on stable family values.
However. it soon became very clear Reagan and the ‘80s were going to have nothing to do with family values. U.S. News and World Report’s September 21, 1981, cover story, “ Flaunting Wealth, Its Back in Style,” charted the real trend in values. In their top-10 lists of what was “in” and what was “out” around the United States in the 1980s, money market funds, small luxury cars, elegant parties, alligator handbags and rich people were all “in.” Idealism, democrats and poor people were all “out.” A photo of a well-dressed couple standing in front of their large house with two Mercedes in the driveway was accompanied by the caption, “Displays of worldly goods is acceptable again with the arrival of the Reagans in Washington. Labor did fight back. A massive rally called Solidarity Day was organized in Washington in September 1981 to protest the governments seeming indifference to the cause of working people. Approximately 25 thousand IBEW members—the most to ever assemble in one place—joined over a quarter of a million other union members and civic leaders to stage the march and peaceful demonstration. Page 2 of 6 |
 Local 980, Norfolk, Virginia, member Bill Brooks on a residential wiring job in 1980. 1982 The Equal Rights Amendment is defeated after a 10-year struggle for ratification. The highest unemployment rate since 1940 was reported at 10.8 percent or 11 million unemployed workers. Lech Walesa, former leader of Solidarity, the Polish Labor Union was released from jail after 11 months. The space shuttle Columbia completed its first operational flight. According to the Labor Department, more than nine-and-a-half million people were unemployed in June, an increase of 280,000 since January. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
