Between 60 and 70 DHL pilots and workers are expected to protest in front of UPS' Sandy Springs headquarters for two hours Thursday.

The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, will be doing "informational picketing" about a proposed deal for UPS to fly DHL's air cargo in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This will be the pilots' third protest after one at DHL headquarters in Plantation, Fla., and another at a DHL sponsored Major League Baseball event in New York.

"We want to make the public aware of this proposed agreement that would cause the loss of 10,000 jobs and we believe violates U.S. antitrust laws," said Capt. Pat Walsh, an ALPA officer who represents 500 pilots at ASTAR, a cargo carrier that currently has DHL's contract to fly cargo and is 49 percent owned by DHL. A air cargo carrier represented by the Teamsters, ABX, also stands to lose its contract. DHL's hub is in Wilmington, Ohio.

"Nobody wants to see job losses in the United States," UPS spokesman Norman Black said. "But this is not a UPS issue. DHL has to decide where they want to award contracts for air lift. [The pilots] need to continue talking to DHL. It is not our decision."

Black said that if the deal goes through, it will keep 14,400 UPS workers employed in Ohio. He also rejected claims the deal would violate antitrust regulations. He said it's similar to a deal that FedEx and UPS have to transport United States Postal Service air cargo.

Nonetheless, a delegation of Ohio senators and congressional leaders has asked the Department of Justice to monitor the proposed deal. The White House has said it will appoint someone to watch the deal.

ALPA took out a half-page ad in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying that "UPS can save those jobs — and American families." Similar ads have run in other cities. They've also hired a billboard truck and biplane with a banner to spread the message from downtown to Sandy Springs.