As stated above, the last airline pilot strike happened under an Obama-appointed NMB. Spirit was a pimple on the butt of the national economy, and after the company's management made some rather egregious demands, a Democratic majority on the NMB released both parties to self help. It was not a labor stoppage that was going to impact the national economy.

The last strike of any consequence, the Northwest mechanics' strike, did indeed happen under George W. Bush's administration. It was not a strike that labor wanted, however. Once Northwest had trained a cadre of replacement maintenance technicians, it signaled that it would not only accept but also desire a release to self-help, so that it could impose a concessionary contract on its mechanics and lay off a percentage of the work force. The mechanics responded to Northwest's imposition of self-help with a strike, which was broken within three months.

Strikes under the RLA do indeed happen under Republican administrations these days. But only if the release to self help is preferred by the company.