ABX pilots on strike

In the latest news regarding the ABX pilot strike taking place today (22 November), Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has said that its airline subsidiary, ABX Air, is taking “multiple steps to resolve and end an illegal work stoppage that began today”.
Earlier, political public relations firm BerlinRosen, which represents the pilots’ union – the Airline Professionals Association of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 1224 – confirmed that approximately 250 pilots went on strike and that about 75 flights were cancelled as a result.
The striking pilots are picketing outside ABX Air’s headquarters in Wilmington and outside airline customer DHL’s North American hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
“We will seek a court order later today to restore the status quo operating environment, even as we continue discussions with union representatives about specific issues of concern,” ABX Air president John Starkovich said.
“We expect the court will uphold our position that the actions taken by the union to refuse work assignments is not legal, and the issues involved constitute a minor dispute to be resolved via arbitration under terms of our current labor agreements.”
Starkovich also noted that, “ABX Air is notifying its customers and other affected parties about temporary interruptions in ABX’s flight operations, allowing them to adjust their networks until pilots return to work and normal flight operations resume.
“We stand ready to assist our customers in any way we can to minimize any impact on their own operations during this critical holiday period.”