Strike Vote Called For at NetJets

[Spooky 1]

Any of you NetJet guys/gals ever work with a fellow by the name of Gary Hoffman over there. Think he may have been a VP Operations. Just wondering what your impressions were.

 

[Hawkered]

Relax guys, it'll all work out. Santulli's going to come in on his white horse and save the day. Word is that our illustrious high profile leader is leaving anyway.

 

[Diesel]

man i go away for a few days and eat bbq and holy crapola.

I really don't care what the upstairs thinks about us. I know the union has said we have to win the hearts and minds but there is just no way we can keep up with the minister of information at bridgeway.

So we as the pilots stick together and fight our fight and not worry about what someone else thinks of us.

 

[netjetwife]

It is true that a strike could be avoided, and highly motivated pilots would continue going the extra mile for the company and the owners. All that is needed is a fair contract offering wages that recognize the level of responsibility and experience the pilots provide NJA. Breaking the contract at will, punitive scheduling and REGRESSIVE pay offers are NOT signs of willingness on the company's part to settle their differences with the pilots in a just and timely manner. That the mediator called a halt to the sessions right after the company made their bogus claims of an enhanced pay offer, seems to be a rather clear indication of who is guilty of dragging their heels.

In response to those of you who take exception to my "fuzzy" references to fairness, let me point out that I would be in the wrong to post numbers while the negotiating team is doing THEIR JOB--to get the best contract they can for the pilot force. I will say, that it seems very reasonable for the NJA pilots to receive wages in line with those of their counterparts within the NJ organization, especially when you consider that the NJA pilots have been subsidizing some of their sister companies that are less profitable. Additionally, how can anyone make an argument that it is FAIR for non-rated employees who lack the responsibility for lives and airplanes, to be paid MORE that a pilot in the company? This is NOT to say that THEY are overpaid, just that clearly the pilots are VASTLY UNDERPAID, and it is a correction that is WAY PAST DUE!

 

[netjetwife]

Diesel, my husband shares your opinion. He thinks it is unfortunate, but irrelevant--they have no control over the contract--that the other employees are being used as pawns (my word, not his) to break the morale of the pilots and their families. Yes there are some who'd like to win the War of Words on that front, but I don't believe that it is a declared goal of the union--is it? We all may well be disgusted with misinformation being passed for the truth, but if our side lets it become a distraction from concentrating on the contract, wouldn't that be playing into management's hands?

 

[Cpt Splash]

Just curious. Who made the statement that NJA pilots were the "most experienced and best trained pilots in the world"? And how does one get that distinction overnight? But seriously guys, good luck in July. It is going be real interesting to see how this pans out.


Quick question. I have been talking to some NJA pilots on the road and they seem to think that they will be unionizing the whole fractional industry. Is this truly the mentality? If so, that is going to be a real hard sell to CS and FJ.

Safe Flying

 

[El Chupacabra]

Easy there on the C-441 jokes Big Fella.

I'd take a good 441 or MU-2 driver and have him doing touch and goes at in a X within a month.

If he is that good why would he come here? LOL a big problem when all the pilots are fired is all the IPs are fired too.

 

[netjetwife]

The company makes those claims in their advertising, so consider the source.

Extending union representation is perhaps a long range goal, but the NJ pilots cannot afford to be side-tracked from working on their contract. Raising their wages will raise the bar for the fractional industry, so first things first, is what you will find the leadership saying, I believe.

 

[Lrjet55]

Without loosing focus on our primary goal of securing a contract that will make NJA a career location we are spending some time and effort in the hopes of unionizing FLOPS.

There are a few problems, however, and the most simple is the fact that we havent achieved the ultimate goal although pilots at Flight Options are learning the hard way the downside to not having a union. Losing 2 tier airports, crew meals coming out of per diem and some others are issues that a union could prevent.

There comes a time in the life span of a large pilot group where a union becomes a necessary evil. A union at its most basic level provides safety. The company wants efficiency, the pilot group wants safety. Often the pilot group will lose without some sort of representation.

If unionization of Flight Options does come to pass then we will see much needed standardization within the industry.

I encourage any and all Flight Options pilots to vote in favor of a union but understandably many will not until the NJA pilot group gives them a significant reason to do so.

 

[netjetwife]

Lrjet55, thanks for the reminder of that on-going effort. I should have mentioned it in my own post, and given credit to those involved. I guess I was thinking of companies where no attempt has been made to organize the pilots. Clearly, the NJ pilots will do what they can to encourage those who have begun the first steps toward solidarity. Industry wide standards would be a good thing for all of the pilots and their families.