Want Investors To Grill Management About Recent Decisions

When all else fails, take your fight to the court of public opinion. More than a few companies and groups have used this strategy recently... and now, pilots at cargo hauler ABX Air have followed suit.

The Business Courier of Cincinnati reports pilots operating out of ABX's hub in Wilmington, OH took out half-page advertisements in the Wall Street Journal and other trade journals. The ads point readers and investors to a website highlighting what pilots say are "the hard questions" that should be asked of ABX CEO Joe Hote, ahead of this week's shareholders meeting.

Among the questions posed at AskJoeHete.com: why did management reject a potential -- and lucrative -- buyout offer from Astar Cargo Holdings? Is the company's recent grounding of several aircraft a sign of looming financial trouble? And has ABX lost the support of its largest customer, cargo giant DHL?

"The pilots are very, very concerned whether management has a viable plan for this airline," said Lynne Nowel, general counsel of the Airline Professionals Association/Teamsters Local 1224. "There's a lot of careers at stake. There are thousands of jobs in the community at stake."

ABX employs over 7,000 people in the Wilmington area. The Teamsters have represented ABX pilots since the early 1980s, and are currently trying to unionize mechanics at the cargo operation.

Pilots also say they want to know why ABX hasn't consolidated operations it acquired through the November 2007 buyout of Cargo Holdings International, and its two airline subsidiaries.

An ABX spokesman said officials plan to address the pilots' concerns at Tuesday's shareholders meeting.

FMI: www.abxholdings.com, www.askjoehote.com