DHL Action Message: Local 1224 Carriers Unite

From the Executive Councils of ABX, Atlas, Kalitta and Southern to the Membership:

The leadership of the Local 1224 ACMI carriers that operate a substantial part of the DHL network is committed to improving the working conditions, compensation, and benefits for our members in order to provide them with a stable, productive and rewarding aviation career. We are no longer interested in being only a final stop for aging aviators or a brief stepping stone for young pilots just looking to gain experience.

ABX and Kalitta are currently negotiating new contracts and Atlas and Southern will enter into contract negotiations within the next year. While the membership of each carrier is free to prioritize and negotiate their contractual needs, by coordinating our efforts we will stop the race to the bottom that has infected the piloting profession for far too many years. To that end, for the first time in DHL’s history of pitting one American carrier against another, we are banding together as one and for the good of all.

As an individual pilot, you may feel powerless and individual members of each carrier may wonder what can be done to reverse the descent. What can be done is a well-integrated plan combining the power of collective bargaining with the fortitude of labor action that will provide the desired outcome.

The Local 1224 leadership has been researching all the legal aspects concerning DHL’s business relationships with our carriers; you will hear from President Wells on that subject. Meanwhile, we are uniting our pilot group in opposition to DHL’s plan, which is to undermine your power to bargain for a fair contract. We have already experienced DHL’s intentions to lower the bar during the 737 start-up, by moving aircraft amongst our carriers disrupting the lives of our members and, most recently, supporting the creation of an entity whose sole purpose is to undermine our work.

With over 750 pilots flying the DHL network out of the Cincinnati hub, we have the collective power to bargain for needed contractual improvements and job security for our members. DHL demands stability in their system; we in turn, also demand stability in our careers and our profession.

Your Executive Council is asking for your support in achieving these goals.

The time has come for us to stand up for the profession and ourselves. We must remain united in our opposition to corporate maneuvers that cause instability in our careers and the lives of our families.


Fraternally and Collectively,

The Executive Councils of ABX, Atlas, Kalitta and Southern
APA Teamsters Local 1224