Its a contract, not a buyout or merger, so I dont really see how it would be subject to anti trust laws, but I'm not a lawyer either.

I would imagine that since the UPS and DHL people have announced this, I'm sure they did their legal homework and figure its got about 99.9% chance of going through.

On another note, contracts end and thats when the sh!t hits the fan. If the DHL contract is finalized (extremely likely) there will come a time that it will be awarded to someone other than UPS, then bad stuff happens with UPS pilots.

Although it may be good in the short term for UPS pilots, in the long run it will cause the same pain that it is now causing the ABX and Astar pilots.

These contracts dont last forever..........

We are all in the same boat in the end fellas. Something to consider.

What is happening to the cargo industry as a whole is not good either. Revenues are down, fuel prices are at record highs, and business is off. They are still making money hand over fist, but profits are down. Not the end of the world by any means, and thing will get better, but there will be some pain involved for everyone, thats for sure.

 

Fellow Pilots,

I think the anger in some posts here is understandable. Picture yourself flying at Ryan Intl., Express One, Kitty Hawk, or one of the other postal carriers back when Fedex took over the USPS contract back in 2001. Whole fleets of planes were parked and many pilot's careers were destroyed. I would guess that very few of them, if any, ended up at Fedex. If you were one of these pilots, and you read about this great "progress", well.... You might feel differently.... No different than reading on the "progress" of your foreclosed home's auction in the local newspaper, or watching the "progress" of your foreclosed home being bulldozed.

This situation is no different. The chance of any of those DHL or ABX pilots getting on at UPS because of their extra flying is unlikely if you look at history. Maybe you guys and gals can chime in, but I have heard that not a single Challenge pilot got on at UPS after their purchase. History does not bode well for pilots whose companies or routes were acquired by UPS, just ask those Orion and Interstate pilots who were promised jobs there to no avail.

As for Ohio, first Menlo-Emery, now DHL-ABX, I can understand how they might not view this as progress. These deals have been very destructive to Ohio's economy.

Finally, I don't blame the IPA pilots for this at all. I lived in, then ran a UPS crashpad in SDF in the 90's and worked with the IPA and Captain Bob Miller during the IBT Strike in '97 and I can say unequivocally that they are a great bunch of pilots. But I also understand the emotion in the posts of those pilots affected by this "progress".

Bottom Line: Don't be too excited when market forces allow your company extra work by the destruction of another company. When even ONE pilot is unemployed, paying for training, or flying for free, it allows management to say "Hey, we have people that will PAY to do your job".

Good luck to us all during these tough times, especially to those pilots of Astar and ABX.

In Unity,

B727DRVR

 

Great post B727Drvr!

 

Thanks AV80R and SaltyDog,

It is from the heart that I write these posts, because I have been on both sides of the merger/furlough story. I'm glad that such a great group will be getting more business and stability, but I am very disappointed about the coldness and insensitivity of some of these posts on this forum... Not even, "Hey dude, sorry for your bad luck...". Just cold matter-of-fact it's good for me/us posts from some. Heck, they can even feel that way, just don't voice it publicly. Or at least they should have the courtesy to gloat (or even be realistic) in the IPA Bar and Grill.

I, too, would be happy for the additional business and stability if I were a UPS pilot; I just wouldn't be proclaiming it publicly. Like you said, it's an unnecessary post and just salt in the wounds of those about to lose their jobs. And like VictorBravo said, "We are all in the same boat in the end fellas. Something to consider."

Thanks for being sensitive, respectful, and encouraging to those fellow pilots at Astar and ABX in such a precarious situation. You represent your IPA and all fellow pilots with honor. May the wheel of justice treat you well.

Thanks and take care.

In Unity,

B727DRVR

 

I can assure you that the vast majority of UPS pilots do care about what's happening to you guys. In fact, I personally think it's amazing how well regarded both Astar and Abx pilots are among the UPS pilots I've flown with. Having come from the pax side of the business I’ve seen the, in my view, more aggressive competition amongst the pilots. I fully expected to see some "we finally showed them," "we're the best," etc. comments and attitudes but instead the majority seem to show concern and respect for you guys.

I am not saying this to make y'all feel better, I'm saying this because that's what I've experienced when discussing this issue with other brown aviators and I must say I'm encouraged to see that kind of attitude because I think that bodes well for our group’s unity. Hopefully we’ll see many of y’all join our ranks and then you’ll se what I’m talking about.