AAWW union warns of pilot shortage as judge imposes ABX injunction

Soon after a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction last week to extend a ban on work stoppages by pilots at carrier ABX Air, the union representing the pilots flying for other carriers owned by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW) said they have too few pilots to meet the long-term demands for its major clients, DHL and Amazon, and warned that many pilots may begin seeking work elsewhere.

APA Teamsters Local 1224, the union representing pilots flying for AAWW subsidiaries Atlas Air and Southern Air, cited recent surveys results showing that 65 percent of Atlas Air pilots and 71 percent of Southern Air pilots contacted said they were planning to apply for work at another airline in the coming year due to hardships encountered at AAWW. Earlier this year, the Teamsters said, pilots at Atlas, Southern, ABX Air and two other cargo carriers that fly for DHL voted with 99 percent support to strike should it become necessary.

Both AAWW and ABX Air had signed agreements with Amazon earlier this year to fly planes for Amazon’s Prime Air delivery service. However, citing concerns about short-staffing and scheduling issues, about 250 ABX Air pilots went on strike on Nov. 22, which grounded more than 75 flights for Prime Air. The next day, the action was halted by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black, who ruled that the disagreement between the striking pilots and ABX’s parent company, Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), constituted a “minor dispute” that must be resolved under terms of the labor agreement between ABX Air and the union.

Then, on Dec. 7, the court filed the preliminary injunction to prevent any future work stoppages or service interruptions at ATSG’s subsidiary carriers. “The preliminary injunction effectively extends that order pending an as-yet unscheduled adjudication on a permanent injunction,” read a statement by ATSG.

The pilots said they will appeal Judge Black’s decision. “We disagree with the judge’s decision and have filed an expedited appeal to stand up for the long-term success of our airline,” said ABX Air pilot Rick Ziebarth in a prepared statement. “We have a responsibility as pilots to make sure our customers are getting the high-quality service they expect, and we went on strike because ATSG and ABX Air executives refuse to make sure we have enough pilots to deliver for our customers like DHL and Amazon.”

Robert Kirchner, an Atlas Air pilot and chair of the executive council at Teamsters Local 1224, commiserated with ABX pilots, saying that the one-day strike forced Amazon and DHL to “confront how staffing issues at their contracted airlines impact their business.” He added: “It has become common conversation in the cockpit of AAWW planes to compare notes on who’s applying to FedEx, who’s applying to UPS and who’s applying to passenger airlines for better pay and benefits. We are already stretched thin, and if we keep losing skilled pilots because AAWW refuses to agree to a competitive contract, our customers will see more delays this holiday season.”

The union said that most AAWW pilots surveyed who are seeking new employment are looking at FedEx or UPS, which both offer “competitive contracts with industry-standard pay and benefits.” Last Wednesday, AAWW pilots and their families protested outside the headquarters of Amazon in Seattle and DHL Express in Fort Lauderdale to raise awareness of the pilot shortage.

The Teamsters also cited a study by the University of North Dakota’s Aviation Department, saying the current pilot deficit will reach 15,000 by 2026. Atlas Air is also losing pilots, the union said; while 48 pilots left the carrier in 2013, that figure rose to 150 departing pilots in 2016, based on the union’s attrition data.

On ongoing concern with AAWW, the union said, is that the carrier is trying to force its pilots to abide by the terms of a concessionary contract negotiated during the bankruptcy proceedings of Southern Air, which AAWW later purchased. The old Southern Air contract, the Teamsters said, “falls far below industry standards,” setting pilots’ salaries lower than those of comparable competitors, and forces pilots to work longer hours than pilots who fly for UPS or FedEx, putting them at risk of fatigue.