summary
- NetJets pilots are demanding fair pay and accusing Warren Buffett of offering unfair budget compensation and putting the company’s reputation at risk.
- Without a deal soon, more than 40% of NetJets’ current pilots could retire, leaving the airline with a shortage of experienced aviators.
- NJASAP calls for competitive wages and improved scheduling to retain qualified pilots and ensure safe operations.
The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) placed a national advertisement on the front page of newspapers. wall street journal The ad called out Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett after labor negotiations between NetJets and the pilot union recently stalled. NetJets is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway.
Full page advertisement
NJASAP, the independent pilot union representing pilots at Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary NetJets Aviation, used a recent full-page ad to directly target Warren Buffett.
According to NJASAP, the ad echoes past comments about the high value NetJets as a company provides to its users, compared to NetJets’ recent refusal to pay NetJets pilots a fair wage. He is asking Mr. Buffett. The ad comes after recent negotiations stalled after Fractional refused to pay what NJASAP called market rate wages to its pilot workers. NJASAP also said the company rejected common-sense enhancements to the scheduling it currently uses.
Photo: Blue Baron Photography | Shutterstock
The union also condemned Buffett in a statement. “NJASAP is proud to be a part of this program,” said Capt. Paulette Gilbert, vice president of NJASAP.
“Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway promote NetJets as a premium commercial airline, but they offer budget compensation to pilot groups.”
Gilbert went on to say that NetJet pilots currently earn only 60% of what their colleagues at JetBlue, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines earn over their entire careers. Gilbert also said that if NetJets does not reach an agreement with NJASAP soon, NetJets can expect many talented pilots to leave the company and seek other opportunities.
Keep pilots in-house
Negotiations between NetJets and NJASAP have slowed down recently. The advertising release comes amid news that more than 40% of current NetJets pilots will retire if a contract is not reached within the next year. This news comes from a recent survey conducted by NJASAP. Captain Pedro Leroux, Chairman of NJASAP, spoke about the current situation for NetJets pilots. Leroux said:
“We are currently witnessing an almost unprecedented trend unfolding in the aviation industry as mid-career pilots with decades of experience retire and realize the value of retaining talented aviators. You’ll start at the bottom of the seniority ladder at a recognized trunk airline.”A dynamic unscheduled operation like NetJets requires talented aviators. Owners are paying for the peace of mind that comes with having two experienced pilots on the flight deck, but they are now seeing quality pilots of all levels of seniority leave fractional airlines. You can And both Berkshire Hathaway and NetJets executives seem fine with that. ”
NJASAP continues to stress that unless an agreement is reached soon, the number of experienced pilots remaining in the company will be limited.
Photo: Artur Buibalov | Shutterstock
Overall, NJASAP advocates for more competitive wages that are in line with market levels and for NetJets to provide additional scheduling tools to make pilots’ service periods more manageable.
NetJet pilots have continued to put pressure on the company in public, even picketing the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix, a hugely popular Formula One race. The union also said pilots will host another picket in Miami this coming Friday, Dec. 8, to continue spreading the word about labor negotiations.