NJA 1st QTR Earnings

[G4dude]

That's the way it should be, and was before Sokol stole the company. He instilled a huge sense of distrust and animosity apparently flowing from both directions. One of the first things I noticed when I came over from the airlines was that when an issue that affected the company came up, both parties sat down, went to RTS's office, whatever, and hammered out a solution that was beneficial to both parties.

Not so now. You are now nothing more that a number filling a seat. You are a line item. You are an expense to NJA, and thus Berkshire that needs to be controlled, and controlled only for the personal gain of a labor attorney who is attempting to make a name for himself in the business world. You are no longer an asset to the company as you were when previous management was running the show. You are now a liability, and liabilities must be minimized.

The finger pointing you're seeing now is happening because we went from having a mature management staff that knew what was best for the company and saw it's employee groups as partners to a juvenile management group who thinks they know what is best for the company. The same thing has happened at almost all the airlines. Management went from having street smarts gained through experience to having book sense written by clueless idiots on how to maximize production and profit. Problem is aviation doesn't work that way.

Want proof? Ask yourself what the owners pay for. It's not only their airplane they paid for. It's the experience. Fiji water, the catering they want, clean cabins, no waiting on the phone for Owner Services, and pilots wearing gold ties. Current management has made cuts and diminished the level of service in the name of return to BH. They want to further diminish the company and owner experience by outsourcing your job through scope reductions. It is no longer about you, it is no longer about the owner, it is no longer about maintaining the most prestigious name in aviation. It is simply about a wet behind the ear little sh#$, his ego, and how a senile old SOB in Omaha perceives him during his first foray into running a business.

We see it differently. I have worked for Sokol here too, and didn't experience any of the things you mention. Also, we laid off/fired a lot of deadwood out of the CMH office, which was a good thing, right? We at the former NJI are a little concerned about the quality of our service, but feel it is probably due to a slight overreaction to the 2008-2009 economic contraction.

 

[fischman]

Why would my giving up some of mine affect yours? Good post, though.

Because we now speak with a collective voice. If you tell management that you are willing to work for less, they think there are ways they can get the rest of us to as well. I will not work for less.

History has shown over and over again that concessions DO NOT SAVE JOBS. If you offer your salaries to management, they will line their pockets with gold and lay us off anyway.

 

[fischman]

I do want to point out that people like me, especially at the former NJI, don't think of labor/management relations as a FIGHT. More of a collaboration. We want to fly for a living and we want them to be profitable so we can continue to fly for a living. If they don't treat us well enough, we will find a job elsewhere or start our own business.

I didn't see it as a fight either until recently. Again, history has shown that if management works WITH us that we make money. If they FIGHT us we fight back.

Do you see a recurring theme? Management is fighting. We WANT cooperation.

 

[fischman]

That's the way it should be, and was before Sokol stole the company. He instilled a huge sense of distrust and animosity apparently flowing from both directions. One of the first things I noticed when I came over from the airlines was that when an issue that affected the company came up, both parties sat down, went to RTS's office, whatever, and hammered out a solution that was beneficial to both parties.

Not so now. You are now nothing more that a number filling a seat. You are a line item. You are an expense to NJA, and thus Berkshire that needs to be controlled, and controlled only for the personal gain of a labor attorney who is attempting to make a name for himself in the business world. You are no longer an asset to the company as you were when previous management was running the show. You are now a liability, and liabilities must be minimized.

The finger pointing you're seeing now is happening because we went from having a mature management staff that knew what was best for the company and saw it's employee groups as partners to a juvenile management group who thinks they know what is best for the company. The same thing has happened at almost all the airlines. Management went from having street smarts gained through experience to having book sense written by clueless idiots on how to maximize production and profit. Problem is aviation doesn't work that way.

Want proof? Ask yourself what the owners pay for. It's not only their airplane they paid for. It's the experience. Fiji water, the catering they want, clean cabins, no waiting on the phone for Owner Services, and pilots wearing gold ties. Current management has made cuts and diminished the level of service in the name of return to BH. They want to further diminish the company and owner experience by outsourcing your job through scope reductions. It is no longer about you, it is no longer about the owner, it is no longer about maintaining the most prestigious name in aviation. It is simply about a wet behind the ear little sh#$, his ego, and how a senile old SOB in Omaha perceives him during his first foray into running a business.

We see it differently. I have worked for Sokol here too, and didn't experience any of the things you mention. Also, we laid off/fired a lot of deadwood out of the CMH office, which was a good thing, right? We at the former NJI are a little concerned about the quality of our service, but feel it is probably due to a slight overreaction to the 2008-2009 economic contraction.

OPEC has it right.

You did experience all the things he mentioned, you just didn't notice them.

I wouldn't call laying off "deadwood" a good thing, I would call it an unfortunate, necessary thing.

 

[rajflyboy]

What planet is G4 working on ?

 

[OPECJet]

The same planet NJA management is working on.

 

[rajflyboy]

Sounds as if G4's "Package" just isn't "Sizing" up well

 

[G4dude]

That's the way it should be, and was before Sokol stole the company. He instilled a huge sense of distrust and animosity apparently flowing from both directions. One of the first things I noticed when I came over from the airlines was that when an issue that affected the company came up, both parties sat down, went to RTS's office, whatever, and hammered out a solution that was beneficial to both parties.

Not so now. You are now nothing more that a number filling a seat. You are a line item. You are an expense to NJA, and thus Berkshire that needs to be controlled, and controlled only for the personal gain of a labor attorney who is attempting to make a name for himself in the business world. You are no longer an asset to the company as you were when previous management was running the show. You are now a liability, and liabilities must be minimized.

The finger pointing you're seeing now is happening because we went from having a mature management staff that knew what was best for the company and saw it's employee groups as partners to a juvenile management group who thinks they know what is best for the company. The same thing has happened at almost all the airlines. Management went from having street smarts gained through experience to having book sense written by clueless idiots on how to maximize production and profit. Problem is aviation doesn't work that way.

Want proof? Ask yourself what the owners pay for. It's not only their airplane they paid for. It's the experience. Fiji water, the catering they want, clean cabins, no waiting on the phone for Owner Services, and pilots wearing gold ties. Current management has made cuts and diminished the level of service in the name of return to BH. They want to further diminish the company and owner experience by outsourcing your job through scope reductions. It is no longer about you, it is no longer about the owner, it is no longer about maintaining the most prestigious name in aviation. It is simply about a wet behind the ear little sh#$, his ego, and how a senile old SOB in Omaha perceives him during his first foray into running a business.

I am curious, didn't y'all say the same things about Santulli when he was running things? And now aren't you saying the same things about Hansell?

 

[G4dude]

Sounds as if G4's "Package" just isn't "Sizing" up well

The Package has always been marginally adequate, at best.

 

[OPECJet]

I am curious, didn't y'all say the same things about Santulli when he was running things? And now aren't you saying the same things about Hansell?

The only things I saw or said relating to RTS is that there were at times ego driven decisions (or what we perceived as ego driven anyway) that were detrimental to the company. Reluctance to order Bombardier aircraft could be one, the Beechjunk order, etc. On the same token his ego was an asset in that he wanted the biggest, baddest, most luxurious fractional / method of travel on the planet.

He also recognized the pilot group was the face of the company and his largest asset (granted, this took a hard lesson for him to learn). Sokol / Hansell saw / see you as nothing more than an expense that must be curtailed.

Hansell / Sokol are from the same mold. Sokol's eye was on the throne in Omaha, while Hansell's is on bigger and better things ($$$) in the business world. All three men will use you to get what they want. The difference is Santulli's method of using you put money in your pocket while Hansell / Sokol's will have you wondering how you're going to pay for your kid's swimming lessons.