NetJets Pilots to Picket Meeting of Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders

[Schrode]

CatYaaak,

At the risk of being attacked by your ability to write many words . . .

I have read all of your posts, and all of those who you go back and forth with. I am an NJA Pilot, have been for 3 years, I am not an MBA, but I have been around a bit and understand management and a good business model. With that said, I have no idea WHY you are on a fractional message board or why you are so inflamed by what is said here. You seem like an intelligent guy, but seem to always attack the point-of-view of others for no real productive reason. What do you get out of these discussions? From what I can tell, this is some sort of "entertainment" for you - one that I just don't understand. The pilots here at NetJets are good people, looking to better the career they are in. Nothing more, nothing less. I am pleased for you that you have a great job. Hope it lasts for you. Why can you not wish this for us? Or would that not be as much fun?

 

[CatYaaak]

CatYaaak,
....The pilots here at NetJets are good people, looking to better the career they are in. Nothing more, nothing less. I am pleased for you that you have a great job. Hope it lasts for you. Why can you not wish this for us?

I do wish it for you, I always have.

But if I can see the serious flaws in arguments your leaders initiate when they (or many here) draw comparisons between other pilots groups ("less productive", "less safe"), then most assuredly, those you're actually fighting against see them too. Your wasting effort and fighting with one hand tied behind your back if you don't know as much about corporate aviation as they do. From what I've seen here, most don't. Many can't handle being challenged in any way, shape, or form, and see an opposing viewpoint on an issue, even if it's an attempt to point out flaws in premises, as a personal attack, a wish for failure, or trying to drive a divisive wedge.

My view is that expending energy taking that road would be better-channeled elsewhere, and wouldn't alienate so many people, if they weren't already alienated before, and there are plenty of those, probably more than you think. Many out where I sit hope that you not only shut the place down, but burn it beyond reconstruction.

I'm not one of them, but I do think any battle is better-fought if you use weapons that give you an advantage. In your case, cutting waste, finding the money internally, or convincing owners to pay more. Barring the celebrity-type, you won't convince your customers to pony up more $$$ for the same service by making bogus comparisons, especially corporations.

They might not stay with you anyway if your costs spike up and the threshold where you make economic sense to THEM lowers. An in-house flight department offers too many other inherent advantages over you if you strip yourselves of economic value from their perspective. As it is now, you only offer that economic advantage to a niche group of customers anyway, due to your business model's built-in inefficiences, compared to the alternatives that operate ever-more efficently.

Your customers have people trying to convince them to dump you and buy their own aircraft. They show them the numbers. Many don't renew their contracts for various reason, and $$$ is one of them. They know about "productivity" and "safety" of the alternative despite what I see now being claimed by your Leaders. Once again, if you try to "educate" them using bogus claims, you'll look foolish as a group. And they aren't going to get on a message board and tell you they do.

Strike talk, believe me, has already spurred many customers to look around more deeply, (let alone having an actual one). Many will take the talk in stride, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE LEGITIMATE ARGUMENTS, and not feed them nonsense born of emotion, even if emotion is legitimate. No business can survive without customers, and people shop around, and I don't mean other fractionals. I can't stress this enough, they aren't a captive audience, and having $$$ means being able to say "screw it", and go elsewhere. You can only push them money or hassle-wise up to that "screw-it" threshold. "Hassle" to them includes having to listen to B.S. Unfortunately though, going from what I see written here, or worse, what ASAP is releasing, by either ignorance or design there's too much B.S.

My whole point is that it's better to fight smart. Diluting smart arguments with "less-smart" ones weakens your overall position.

But in a strange twist of Karmic synergy given what's been discussed, I have to go be "productive" now. I know you'll all be saddened to hear it's for an extended trip to a place where they might discover the internet in about 100 years or so if they ever take their guns and beat them into computers.

So in the meantime, a sincere good luck to everyone. And if I don't see y'all later, then see you in he!!.

AMF

Yaaak

 

[T34Mentor]

As an MBA and a pilot, I suggest that NJA employees closely study Yaaks input. He is articulating well thought out arguments that you will face in your labor negotiations. He is doing you a favor by responding to your posts. If I were you, I'd keep playing with the spider without pulling the legs off; his web is your classroom.

 

[Grizz]

As a MBA and a NetJets pilot, I can tell you that we don't need your input. Thanks so much for stopping by though. Have fun troll.

 

[T34Mentor]

As a BRK Class A shareholder, my interest is strictly financial, nothing personal. I would hope you could sharpen your arguments by addressing issues raised by Yaak. Any misunderstanding between pilots and management could negatively impact my shareholder value.

Best of luck.

 

[Live4flyng]

As a BRK Class A shareholder, my interest is strictly financial, nothing personal.

Ok, we will keep that in mind. Thanks for your input.


Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Last 84000.10 Open 84600.00 Change -199.90 Previous Close 84200.00 % Change -0.24% Bid NA Volume 120 Ask NA Avg Daily Volume 500 Instit. Ownership 13.1% Day's High 84600.00 52 Week High 92900.00 Day's Low 84000.10 52 Week Low 81150.00

Dear Mr. Shareholder, can you tell us exactly what percentage NJA makes up of the BRK A and B shares? Your financial interest is at stake.

 

[jpilot]

I hate to even respond to Catyaak, but for the owner's sake here goes

<<I'm not one of them, but I do think any battle is better-fought if you use weapons that give you an advantage. In your case, cutting waste, finding the money internally, or convincing owners to pay more. Barring the celebrity-type, you won't convince your customers to pony up more $$$ for the same service by making bogus comparisons, especially corporations.>>


For one thing, NJA is not an airline, a corporate flight department, etc. We are fractional, in a class all by ourselves with 70% market share. We are not LOSING money although the company spin doctors have tried to inflate this idea. It is not up to NJA pilots to cut waste. We see the waste everyday and it lies in another department, scheduling, of which pilots have no control. Our customers have had their management fees increase over the past 3 and a half years of our contract negotiations and in essence, our salaries come from their management fees. The pilots of NJA have not seen an increase in our salaries as compared with the increase in management fees over the years.

The pilots of NJA know that an increase in management fees isn't necessary for the wages we are asking for. Our sister companies (EJM, NJE, NJI) pilots' make considerably more money than us (almost double). The profit/loss NJA is trying to push at the pilots includes the money sent to NJE to get the Europe operation up and running. An AIN article (in March, I believe) stipulates NJE's first 60 aircraft have been bought from NJA. EJM is fed our charter business and is a shell game in that their profits have increased 35% in 2004 (current press release), yet NJA is paying big money to it's sister company for that charter business. Heck, a price of a quart of oil purchased at EJM by a NJA aircraft is $105. Should be around $20, including labor, which the pilots pay at other FBO's. Why would our sister company charge so much more? To decrease profits in the shell game during union negotiations, of course.

In essence, the money is there. The pilots are tired of funding NJE, EJM and NJI with NJA funds and with our NJA pilots salaries. We just want what is due. A decent wage just like our sister companies but also NJA pilots want wages set only as a NJA pilot, not compared to other airlines, etc. We are in a class all by ourselves. Argue away Catyaak.

 

[T34Mentor]

You're welcome.

See pages 63 and 63 of '04 annual report.

 

[Live4flyng]

You're welcome.

See pages 63 and 63 of '04 annual report.

Ok, I'll ask the question in a different way since you are trying to fool everyone into thinking you are a concerned investor. What is the dollar value of all the assets owned by Netjets? Can you put that in percentage terms of your BRK A holdings?

If I owned BRK A stock, I would be most concerned with the insurance and reinsurance holdings, not hanging out on a fractional message board.

 

[holden1]

Ok, I'll ask the question in a different way since you are trying to fool everyone into thinking you are a concerned investor. What is the dollar value of all the assets owned by Netjets? Can you put that in percentage terms of your BRK A holdings?

If I owned BRK A stock, I would be most concerned with the insurance and reinsurance holdings, not hanging out on a fractional message board.

And if I owned a NetJets fraction I would want to know why the hell Marquis Card holders were helping overide the QS tails and ultimately drive down re-sale values.