Pilot Strike May Hurt Amazon During Holidays

About 250 pilots employed by a subsidiary of Air Transport Services went on strike to protest alleged staffing shortages at the cargo carrier, threatening to ground flights for Amazon and DHL during the busy holiday shopping season, according to Bloomberg. ATSG’s ABX Air operates 35 flights a day for Amazon and 45 daily flights for DHL, which will be affected by the strike. The pilots are picketing outside ABX Air’s headquarters, and DHL’s North American hub.

The action comes as the retail industry’s busiest period gets into full swing and spending continues to shift from physical stores to computers and smartphones. Online spending in November and December will increase 11 percent this year to $91.6 billion, according to an October forecast from Adobe. The union says ABX Air is violating its contract by forcing pilots to work an excessive number of emergency assignments, preventing them from taking time off, because it doesn’t have enough pilots to meet the growing demands of companies like Amazon.

The world’s biggest online retailer in March announced plans to lease 20 Boeing 767 freighters from ATSG to help it move inventory around the country. Amazon, DHL and ATSG weren’t immediately available for comment outside of normal business hours. Pilot strikes in the U.S. are rare due to the Railway Labor Act, a 90-year-old federal law intended to prevent labor disputes from disrupting commerce. The pilots say their strike is allowed because of the contract violations, and voted to authorize a strike in May.