PURPOSE:

Welcome,
The primary goal of GCPA is to bring its member groups closer together. We firmly resolve that the career interests of all pilots must be considered and respected as our airlines compete for more flying in the DHL network.The GCPA also acts as a collective voice in relation to subjects and issues of mutual interest and concern among its members.

Our highest priority is to establish a relationship with DHL and the DPWN Supervisory Board that provides for a positive exchange of ideas and concerns. We clearly believe this would be a win-win situation for both DHL and DHL pilots. This would help open lines of communication while also assisting both parties at achieving mutual goals.



THE GCPA was founded in 2002 under the leadership of Captain Daniel Brannan of the Airline Pilots Association, Captain Tim Wurefel of Verienigung Pilots Association and Captain Alain Vanalderweireldt of the Belgian Cockpit Association.

THE GLOBAL CARGO PILOT ALLIANCE – MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

One of the greatest clients for freight dogs, those mystic night prowler type pilots in freighter airplanes, is the worldwide operating mega-freight shipping giant DHL.

Its airfreight is meanwhile being delivered by not less than five bigger cargo-only-airlines. Those are ASTAR, CCI, and ABX Air in North America. EAT (European Air Transport) in Belgium, EAT UK and Lufthansa Cargo, with their headquarters in Europe, operating more than 220 aircraft and employing more than 2000 pilots. The network is supplemented by more than 15 local freight airlines all over the globe.

Since 2003, DHL no longer has its own fleet (like FedEx or UPS). When German Post took over DHL that year, DHL Airways had to be restructured and renamed ASTAR Air Cargo, as American laws did not allow foreign investors to own more than 25% of a US-based airline. One year before this happened; the GCPA had been brought to life. The GCPA is an international alliance of independent pilot unions, dedicated to bundle the interests and represent the will of the pilots flying for DHL, whenever possible.

The goal of the three founding members of the GCPA (DHL Airways, EAT Belgium and Lufthansa Cargo) was to enforce the pilots in this international mélange, facing a common opponent. We reinforce the unity, not only symbolically, but also by powerful means and being able to act.

Because of the different structures within the different airlines, their pilots and their unions, there was an urgent need for a close relationship between pilots of different DHL airlines. This will help them to be able to face the omnipresent phantom DHL as common client and opponent concerning similar issues.

As airmen you all know the attempts of trying to save more money in aviation and the supporting companies, which are more and more leading to a terrible deterioration of quality only to upgrade shareholder’s values.

Besides the new name for DHL Airways the image of the GCPA has not changed much since then, except for a fourth member, the also north American based freight carrier ABX Air.

Another not to be omitted group in the DHL-network are the pilots of EAT
UK, who, as far as we know, are not even organized in a national pilot union.

The next potential members - from today's point of view - would be the Atlas Air's subsidiary Polar Air Cargo (meanwhile also 49% owned by DHL).
Efforts to get in touch with Air Hong Kong, which serves the Asian environment with currently six Airbus 300F, revealed itself as difficult, as the Cathay Pacific which is holding 49% of the shares is not very keen on having labour influences.

Currently the expansion of the alliance is not a high priority, but some more important issues, which take our full attention and also show us the still limited capabilities of the GCPA:

Facing the attempted deal of giving away all of its north American air operations to UPS, one of its main competitors, DHL lets the jobs of ASTAR and ABX pilots become obsolete and superfluous. That means, that obviously those people will soon be facing unemployment.

It was announced in May, that DPWN most surprisingly stated this plan. They claimed this action should counteract the losses North American airborne parcel ops. As this deal, according to official sources, has not yet been signed, the pilots of ASTAR are still hoping to be able to convince the DHL / DPWN management to retreat from it and they are willing to take any effort possible. They are supported and represented by the ALPA.

During a three day stay in Bonn (DPWN's HQ) a delegation of two ASTAR pilots, Cpt. Jerry Wambold und FE Frank Davidson, started preliminary to work on informing Deutsche Post shareholders and DHL customers of the calamity that will ensue, should the DHL/UPS deal be consummated.
Furthermore, they attempted to get in touch with a responsible manager and also looked for a possible location for future picketing information in the vicinity the Post tower in Bonn.

Also a more intense enlightenment of responsibility was and still is a goal.
It is assumed by the American pilots, that their fellow countrymen in DHL / DPWN management are still disguising the negative long-term effects of the pending decision on competition and, subsequently, the expected revenue, which DPWN is hoping to gain after losses in recent years.

During their visit at Vereinigung Cockpit's HQ close to Frankfurt we were also able to support our American colleagues through translation and adaptation to the "European style" in their letters to the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of DPWN.

Throughout this meeting we have learned more shocking details about the actually developing situation in the US. The long-term-effects are not so easy to be overviewed.
The management's strategy, however, is quite simple: save money as much as possible, violate labour agreements, play strategic games with humans.

If this deal would become reality, more than 10,000 people in the US would lose their jobs - of which roundabout 1300 pilots. In this moment for example the state of Ohio is thinking about going to court to have stated, if anti trust laws are becoming a factor now. If one of the three big American shipping companies would disappear, there would be a cease in competition.

Besides: concerning the respectful and honest way of dealing with and treating each other. It was just in March 2008, when DHL signed a collective bargaining agreement after four (4+) years of negotiations. The decisions for the UPS deal must already have been decided on behind the negotiators' backs.
Unfair play with devil's grin while drinking champagne to the result.

It is going to be now a maximum of 22 months for our colleagues of the former DHL Airways Inc. until they will be definitely having to seek a new job.
And this is getting more and more difficult in the US in those days - the recession has already begun yet.

The author:
Tom Mohr is 32 years old, living together with a lady, no kids, and just one dog.
In 1995 after school, aged 19, started working as Paramedic and Paramedic trainer. In 2000 graduated after 12 months as ATP from part-time flight training and joined Lufthansa City Line, the German Lufthansa commuter, as FO on CRJ 200 / 700. Since 2006 employed as FO on the MD-11 for Lufthansa Cargo's long haul freight ops. In 2007 joined the German Alpha’s negotiating committee for Lufthansa Cargo and took over the position as representative in the GCPA.