ATI pilots are adopting a less antagonistic tone in hopes of bringing Amazon to the negotiating table. “What we don’t want to do is affect our customers,” Sterling says. “We’ve done a lot to protect our obsession with Amazon.” However, he claims that the intransigence of ATSG management left the pilots with no choice but to go on strike.
“This side of Amazon’s network is the most vulnerable to strikes,” says Marc Wulfraat, president of logistics consultancy MWPVL. If there is a strike by drivers or warehouse workers, the company can shift the flow of products and packages to one of its many nearby warehouses, but the airports are fewer and further apart.
Amazon could offset the walkout at ATI by shifting volume to other airlines under the Amazon Air umbrella, but only if they have the capacity to handle the influx at all airports. It could also transport some of its packages by truck, which it did during the brief strike in 2016. However, this could lead to longer shipping times and a reduction in service, Wulfraat says, which goes to going against Amazon’s mantra of customer obsession.
Pilots also have the advantage of generally being in a position of strength in the airline industry. “It’s still a very, very hot job market” for pilots, says Geoff Murray, a partner who works in aerospace at the management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The plummeting demand for passenger pilots during the pandemic pushed many to retire early, worsening an existing pilot shortage that has worsened as the industry rebounded. Wages have gone up. Oliver Wyman estimates that pay for captains at major U.S. airlines, such as Delta and UPS, has increased by 46% since 2020, while that at regional carriers has increased by 86%.
Pilot Drew Patterson arrived at ATI in 2021, attracted by the work-life balance offered by the airline, but as the carrier lost pilots, he saw his workload increase and his schedule become more unpredictable. With fewer crews to fly the same number of flights, “everyone else’s schedules are compressed,” he says. “Sometimes you can be away from home for a long time.”
In the long run, he thinks Amazon’s continued growth should be a good thing for ATI and its employees, which is why he’s willing to stick it out. But he’s not sure whether all his colleagues will feel the same way about the company’s current conditions.
“It all has a real house of cards feel to it,” Sterling says. “We just can’t maintain what we’re doing. »
