
The company had 1,700 pilots at the end of 2016, an increase of 600 over a two-year span.

"That flows to better contracts in the future, more work and continuous work." 'Remain committed'Īn Atlas spokeswoman said in an email that the company is meeting all of its customer commitments and will continue to do so. "Everyone wants the company they work at to be a success," said Griffith, who's worked at Atlas for 19 years. They want Jeff Bezos to use his clout to put pressure on the carriers before it's too late. The pilots are taking the case straight to Amazon, because they say their own executives won't talk to them and contract negotiations are at a standstill. At Atlas, the stake could eventually increase to 30 percent. As of Friday's close, 20 percent of the two companies had a total value of $516 million. Last year, Amazon agreed to lease 20 planes each, including crew, maintenance and insurance, from Atlas and ATSG, with operations expected to be fully up and running by 2018.Īdditionally, Amazon acquired warrants to buy up to 20 percent of each carrier over a five-year period. As Amazon sees it, Prime Air will eventually mean drone delivery to your door.įor now, it's about airplanes. The company is trying to build out an end-to-end supply chain to control every aspect of freight delivery and storage as it aims to provide even faster service to Prime members. Ken Hall, the union's general secretary-treasurer, said in the letter that he welcomes a meeting with Amazon executives to discuss the problem and potential solutions.Īmazon investors have reason to care. Last week, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents pilots at Atlas and ATSG, sent a letter to Amazon's board expressing concern that "our employers, in their efforts to contain costs, will hamper Prime Air's growth and ultimately force Amazon to reconsider the strategic development of Prime Air." Griffith said that a report released internally showed that Atlas lost 92 pilots in the first four months of the year, double the number it lost in all of 2016. "Shareholders are being sold a bill of goods by vendors saying that they can bring in labor at below-market rates and make it successful," Griffith said in an interview on Friday from his home in Los Angeles. Griffith will be picketing along with about 50 other pilots from Atlas and air cargo conglomerate Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), which also has a contract with Amazon.


Griffith, 52, is so concerned about his company's ability to hold up its end of the Amazon deal that he's heading to Seattle for its shareholders meeting on Tuesday. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
