Don't know why you folks keep bothering with B19. It's obvious he knows NOTHING about the actual situation at NJ's.
It was MANAGEMENT that hired well above the staffing levels required by the CBA. And now it is MANAGEMENT that must furlough the excess pilots that THEY hired. The union, in no way, asked or forced them to hire above the minimum staffing requirements.
But the reality is, our CBA-required staffing ratios are where we need to be to operate an efficient and successful fractional business. I've covered this before, but here it is one more time: let's say that NJ's has 400 aircraft. Well, we know that each plane requires 2 pilots to operate. Okay, so right away we need 800 pilots, yes? But NJ's is a 24/7 operation, meaning that while we don't fly as much at night as we do in the day, our planes still need to be available at all hours. It's the FAR's, not our CBA, that limits us to 14-hour duty day. Okay, so we don't need to have ALL the planes crewed for night ops, we still need SOME crewed. So we'll need more than the base 800 pilots. Let's say another 400. That brings our total up to 1200, right? But that assumes that all 1200 pilots are willing to work every day of the year. Ummm, I don't think that's gonna happen. Even the worst companies out there give their pilots some days off every month. So, we need more pilots. Oh yeah, are we going to provide any training for our pilots? Provide them with any vacation time at all? Can our pilots call in sick? If the answer is 'yes' to any of those questions (I'm thinking to all of the questions) then we're going to need even more pilots yet!
So it looks like making NJ's work, it really will require about 5 pilots per plane, minimum. My numbers may be off a little, but I'd bet my next year's salary that I'm very close. Our CBA-required staffing numbers aren't hurting the company. They basically just go along with what they'd need anyway. Same as our work restrictions (as outlined in the CBA) pretty much just mirror the FAR's. No major deviations there either.
As to what management will demand in our next contract negotiation, it seems B19 wants to be seen as some sort of amazing prognosticator of the future that we'll all be wowed by when his predictions come true.
Only problem is, he's prediciting things that we already KNOW wil happen! Management is going to demand concessions form us on our next round? Well, duh!! That's what management does!! Hello, McFly?! Even if the economy were to be absolutely booming, and NJ's were to be making money like they were printing it, management would still approach us for concessions in the next contract. That's what they are SUPPOSED to do! It's management's job to try to get us as cheaply as possible, whether the company is making money or not. They represent the company's interests. And just like clockwork, the union will ask for the exact opposite. That's what they are SUPPOSED to do! They represent the pilot's interests.
Has anyone EVER heard of a contract negotiation where management was all giving and no taking? I'd love to hear about it! B19 is stating the obvious, what we all KNOW will transpire, and trying to make it sound like a dire warning that this will happen simply because of the union and our CBA. Hogwash!! It would happen no matter what.
And as always, B19 keeps ignoring that even the non-union fractionals are in the same situation as NJ's. How is it that furloughs at NJ's are the union's fault, but it's just the economy at the other fracs? Who does he really blame at the other fracs? I notice he avoids talking about them, probably because if it isn't the economy, the only other place to place blame is with management, and that would run counter to the points he's trying to make.
Why waste your time with people who are just here to stir the pot? Put him on ignore like I did (or at least stop quoting him so his posts don't show up for all of us).
