Choosing not to invest in pilot workforce
continues to decimate Fractional's reputation
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 11,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NetJets, the global leader in
private air transportation, continues its freefall from career
destination to industry steppingstone as executives steadfastly
refuse to acknowledge the reality of the worsening pilot labor
crisis. This theme connects sentiments shared in a long-form video
published to the pilot union's YouTube channel earlier this week.
An independent labor advocate, NJASAP represents the professional
interests of the 3,100-plus pilots who fly in the service of
NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary (NYSE:
BRK.A).
NetJets continues its sad decline from
career destination to industry steppingstone.
"Historically, airline management teams have been quick to
dismiss the pilot advocate's concerns, insisting the union is
making much ado about nothing. NetJets is no different in that
regard," NJASAP President Capt. Pedro
Leroux explained. "Our newest video tells 'The Pilots'
Story,' reaffirming NJASAP is, in fact, speaking on behalf and with
the full support of its members."
To its detriment, NetJets has buried its head in the sand to the
realities of the sustained pilot labor crisis. In a puzzling turn
of events, management has minimized the essential role talented
aviators play in delivering the peace of mind for which its
high-end clientele pays a premium. "Considering the complex nature
of our unscheduled operation and the 5,000-plus airports to which
we provide service, NetJets clients want and deserve experienced
pilots on the flight deck," NJASAP Vice President Capt.
Paulette Gilbert said.
"Talented aviators will not stay at NetJets where they will make
60% of what their peers will earn elsewhere across a 30-year
career," Leroux explained. "Pilot compensation at NetJets not only
trails that of the legacy carriers, but also low-cost carriers like
JetBlue, ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit and regional airlines
such as SkyWest." The Union president added the NetJets pilot
contract continues to lose ground in wages, benefits and working
conditions as regional and mainline carriers ratify amended
contracts or exercise wage snap-up provisions.
"Watching NetJets – once a career destination for professional
aviators – transition into the industry's steppingstone is
disheartening. Long-tenured aviators are moving on, and more and
more new aviators are coming to NetJets to build time, rather than
a career," Gilbert remarked, explaining that, year to date, 62% of
pilots who have separated from NetJets have been in their first
three years of employment. In recent weeks, NJASAP has published a
series of advertisements in The Wall Street Journal that
shares departing pilots' observations about their experience at
NetJets and their motivation for moving on. The content is
available at GenuineQS.com.
In early February, NJASAP and NetJets convened a voluntary
bargaining measure to negotiate what NJASAP thought would be
competitive adjustments to its current agreement. That, however,
has been far from the case. "Our most recent bargaining session
clocked in at 32 minutes, dashing any remaining hope we had that
NetJets was committed to good faith bargaining," Gilbert said,
adding management remains resolute in its belief that the pilot
group is content to make approximately half of what their peers at
mainline and regional carriers will earn across a career. "In
short, management's head-in-the-sand posture remains fully
intact."
NJASAP discusses the Fractional's continued, but entirely
avoidable and reversible decline in its September 2023 Aero Crew News Digital Takeover.
Moreover, NJASAP members and their families will travel to
New York City next Thursday, Sept. 14 to engage in informational
picketing outside the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street,
New York City, from 1:30 to 5:30
p.m.
"Wall Street is the perfect venue for an informational picket:
It is filled with financial professionals who understand the
importance of investing in an entity's most valuable resource,"
Leroux said. "NJASAP members will be standing outside the Stock
Exchange to remind NetJets and Berkshire Hathaway of the essential
role the pilots play in ensuring the company is positioned to meet
its lofty promises to owners and customers."
About NJASAP Founded in 2008 as an independent labor
advocate, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
(NJASAP) represents the professional interests of the 3,100-plus
pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a
Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. For more information, please visit
our websites, www.njasap.com and www.genuineqs.com, or find us on
Facebook, www.facebook.com/njasap, Instagram,
www.instagram.com/njasap, and Twitter, @njasap.
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SOURCE NJASAP