As the Section 6 negotiations at NetJets are just getting going, one contract proposal that seems to be gathering a lot of support is the notion of a 10 year, 7-7 schedule PIC having a base wage of $250,000 and extrapolating the rest of the pay scale from that point.
Now, before anybody jumps to any conclusions, lets agree on a few things.
Few would argue that, in many ways, a fractional pilot has WAY more duties to perform every day than a typical airline pilot. For example, on a typical day, duties include: Crew ground transportation coordinator, fuel and aircraft service supervisor, aircaft maintenance status inspector, passenger and crew catering expeditor, passenger baggage handler, aircraft security officer, cabin safety briefer, cabin customer service representative, company screw-up apologizer, aviation weather evaluator, cockpit decision maker and flight control operator, passenger ground transportation procurer, cabin cleaner and re-stocker, FBO lounge appreciator, professional airline passenger, and, if there's time, wiped-out beer drinker.
I also think most would agree that the fractional segment is its own, unique brand of flying and a direct salary comparison against major airline, regional airline, or traditional corporate is problematic.
Obviously, there are many other important contract sections that will affect total compensation and quality of life. But for the sake of this discussion, let's stick with the basic premise of 10/250.
So, here's my question for the peanut gallery:
Is the 10/250 proposal
A) An admirable starting point for negotiations that will ultimately be negotiated downward by a substantial amount? Or;
B) A realistic bottom-line benchmark that can be achieved with the appropriate "education" of the EMT by the pilot group? Or;
C) Sheer fantasy.
Discuss. And thanks for keeping the name-calling to a minimum.
Gut,
The answer is "B".
The company posted a $223 million profit for 2012 AND paid down $500 million in debt. These numbers aren't secret. They are in the SEC filing.
Oh yeah, the 95.6% owner approval rating for the pilots is THE LOWEST it has ever been.
In other words, we are awesome. The company has made a poop ton of money on operations alone, and we are selling the poop out of the Phenoms and Globals. Wait to see what happens when the Challengers show up. Mr. Buffet won't know what to do with all the money.
10/$250 is the bottom line, not the starting point. 10/$249,999 is a NO VOTE.
So, let's hear some of the common excuses...
"There's NO WAY you'll get paid $250,000 to fly a CE560. NBAA rates are $140,000 max."
OK. How much does a Part 91 CE560 driver fly a year? 200 hours? 250 hours? for $140,000? OK. I flew 630 hours last year for $120,000. So hour to hour, dollar to dollar, a 200 hour pilot at $140,00 would equate to $420,000 worth of flight. Even if the guy flew 300 hours a year, it would equate to more than $280,000 for the amount I have been flying.
"The owners will never support that kind of salary."
Really? Why would the owners even need to notice a difference? Why would the company even have to charge the owners more? Did you see the INSANE amount of money we made? Did you see the amount of debt we paid off? SWA guys make that kind of coin and the company still manged to post a $73 million profit. Oh yeah, they have a larger seniority list too. Berkshire will just have to get their money a little slower.
How many Travelodge's does the 91 guy stay in?
How many crappy D8b's does he eat?
How many times does he even GET A CHANCE to workout? Every day? The only way I can fit in a workout is if I call in fatigued.
I helped subsidize NetJets Europe with the crap salary we made before 2005. I am not going to subsidize China.
So yeah. I deserve the 10/$250. I work hard. I work safely. The owners LOVE me. The company can EASILY afford it (re: $223 million profit. $500 million in debt. Making that money on operations alone-new planes selling well).
The only reason we won't get that money is if we say we aren't worth it. I am.
