Rather than reset labor-management
relationship, Company opts for crusade
of intimidation, retaliation and steamrolling protected
activity
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets
Aviation, Inc., escalated adversarial activity against its 3,430
unionized pilots by terminating the employment of two high-ranking
Union leaders, the NJASAP Vice President and Strategy Group chair,
earlier this month. NJASAP, the independent labor advocate that
represents the NetJets pilots, characterized the decision as
unlawful, unjust and in retaliation for the $1.6B in improvements the pilots negotiated
during mid-term bargaining that concluded earlier this year. The
Union will contest these unprecedented terminations through the
contract-based minor dispute resolution process.
Rather than resetting the relationship with
its pilots' union, NetJets pursues crusade of intimidation and
retaliation.
"These union leaders were not terminated because of anything
they did as NetJets pilots, but because of their role in supporting
contract negotiations," NJASAP President Capt. Pedro
Leroux said. "The NJASAP Vice President, a duly elected Union
official, is a 23-year NetJets captain with an unblemished
professional record, and the NJASAP Strategy Group chair is an
18-year captain with a likewise spotless tenure at NetJets. "Even
so," Leroux continued, "these union officials were aggressively
interrogated about lawful, protected activities."
The move to terminate these Union officials began in late-May
when they, along with 11 other pilots, were subjected to Crewmember
Review Board meetings, during which they were badgered with the
same questions asked repeatedly and in multiple ways about the
Union's lawful and protected activities conducted by NJASAP
strategy officials. Company officials were laser focused on
gathering information about Union members' participation in
informational picketing and other demonstrations to focus public
attention on the dispute. "In a word, NJASAP members are
outraged by the company's egregious conduct," Leroux said.
"Intimidation and retaliation aside, this behavior equates to
unlawful surveillance of protected union activity under the Railway
Labor Act."
The terminations come as NJASAP has emphasized their interest in
resetting the labor-management relationship at NetJets since the
parties signed an agreement in principle in early February.
"Choosing to terminate two high-ranking Union leaders is not simply
another hurdle to resetting the landscape, but a move reflective of
a strategy that is not sustainable in the long term," Leroux said.
It is this very action coupled with other Union concerns that
compelled the NJASAP president to challenge NetJets CEO
Adam Johnson to reconsider the
course that the company seems to have set.
"The parties can certainly, in time, repair the partnership,"
Leroux said, adding, "but NetJets must replace adversarial tactics
with a sustained, good faith commitment to resolving our
differences. Otherwise, the parties will continue to waste time,
money and energy on managing a feud rather than fully capitalizing
on the growth potential in our industry sector."
About NJASAP
Founded in 2008 as an independent
labor advocate, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft
Pilots (NJASAP) represents the professional interests of the
3,400-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc.,
a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. For more information, please visit
our websites, www.njasap.com and www.genuineqs.com, or
find us on Facebook, facebook.com/njasap,
Instagram, www.instagram.com/njasap, and
Twitter, @njasap.
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SOURCE NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
(NJASAP)