Pilots contracted to fly for DHL Express will be protesting outside the company’s US headquarters today (28 November) to call on the logistics giant to help address the many issues facing Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and ABX Air – a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG).
The pilots will be protesting outside of DHL’s HQ in Plantation, Florida at 13:00h today (local time), carrying signs that read ‘Atlas, Southern & ABX Pilots Leaving for Better Jobs’ and ‘Fair Pilot Contract Now!’.
A mobile billboard, which began running in September and will go through the holiday season, will also be circling the company’s headquarters. The billboard calls on DHL to improve workplace standards and “end this exploitation of workers and their families”.
AAWW and ABX pilots are both represented by their union, Airline Professionals Association (APA), Teamsters Local 1224 who said: “For years, management at all three carriers have been stalling negotiations to improve their outdated contracts, arguing they can maintain and attract a sufficient number of pilots to work for them at current wages, terms and benefits that are below industry norms.”
AAWW’s two subsidiaries Atlas Air and Southern Air, and ABX Air are currently contracted to fly for DHL – with Southern Air flying exclusively for the company.
The union said pilots say the carriers’ strategy is not working and is impeding their ability to succeed long-term with customers like DHL–especially in light of the international pilot shortage.
The protest comes just a week after a survey of AAWW and ABX Air pilots revealed that more than 75 per cent of those who responded strongly disagree that management at the carriers is telling customers, such as DHL, and the public the truth about the problems they’re facing.
Additionally, more than 60 per cent of respondents said they are preparing to leave for work at competitors like UPS and FedEx. Pilots say that DHL should be paying attention to these warnings and use its power to help the carriers agree to an industry-standard contract.
