The PATCO strike is often remembered by liberals and people who hated Ronald Reagan as the beginning of the end of the post-WWII economic system. They often say that "Reagan broke the unions" and that this resulted in the economic struggles that many working class people face today.

Truthfully, despite the dramatic and visible nature of the PATCO strike, labor union membership in the United States had been declining since the 70s. There were large structural changes taking place in the American economy as technology began antiquating many of the jobs that had previously existed in the manufacturing sector, and there was great pressure on younger workers to pursue an education and become a white collar professional rather than a blue collar worker. Whatever else one can say about Reagan's economic policies or the PATCO episode, it wasn't the beginning of the trend.