Robert Edmund Poli

Robert Edmund Poli (February 27, 1936 – September 15, 2014) was an American labor union leader who was president of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) during its ill-fated strike in 1981 against the Federal Aviation Administration.

His parents, Peter and Cora, owned a luncheonette,[1] and his father carved religious statuary and worked at a dairy.

[3] US President Ronald Reagan gave the strikers an ultimatum to return to work within 48 hours or lose their jobs.

[3] Several local union leaders were briefly jailed for violating court orders but not Poli although he was fined.

The FAA filled vacant positions with supervisors, other staff and military controllers, but the drastic cut in the number of on-duty controllers caused a significant reduction in US air traffic.