Air Transport International Pilots Picket Cargo Facts Symposium in San Diego

Release #: ATI 24.07
October 16, 2024

Air Transport International Pilots Picket Cargo Facts Symposium in San Diego

Pilots Demand a Market-Based Contract Before Busy Holiday Season

SAN DIEGO-Today, Air Transport International (ATI) pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) held an informational picket in San Diego in front of the Cargo Facts Symposium. Joined by fellow pilots from Alaska, Delta, and JetBlue, ATI pilots brought their message directly to Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) management and leaders within the cargo industry. ATI has been in negotiations for more than four years without management providing meaningful improvements in compensation and quality of life. In fact, Joe Hete, ATSG executive chairman, has stated his expectation not to have a labor agreement until "until sometime in 2025."

"As ATI pilots continue to provide on-time performance and ATSG's most productive profit center, ATSG drags their heels and continues to benefit from the professionalism of ATI pilots without giving anything in return," said Capt. Mike Sterling, chair of the ATI Master Executive Council. "As our pilots question their future at ATI, as shown by many pilots leaving for other airlines-and sometimes other careers-ATSG lengthens the negotiations process and gets ATI pilots at a discount, compared with our peers at other carriers."

ATI pilots are currently working under an agreement achieved in 2018 and have been without an increase in compensation for more than three years. As the holiday season approaches, negotiations, under the supervision of the National Mediation Board, have stalled, and management has not made any significant movement for months.

"ATI is the largest Amazon carrier in the world. Every day, Amazon customers rely on the hard work of ATI pilots, but ATSG refuses to recognize our contributions, though it's as evident as the profit ATSG rakes in month after month," continued Capt. Sterling. "ATI pilots have earned a market-based contract. Since ATSG management refuses to listen to us at the negotiations table, we have no choice but to bring it to the attention of the cargo industry."

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 78,000 pilots at 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or [email protected]

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