Manager behavior in pilot disciplinary meeting viewed as
outrageous
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 24, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets Aviation, Inc.,
continued the assault on its unionized pilot group by subjecting a
crewmember who participated in a late-November 2023, informational picket –
as was their lawful, federally protected right to do
– to coercive interrogation, according to NJASAP. An independent
labor advocate, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
(NJASAP) represents the 3,400-plus professional flight deck
crewmembers who fly in the service of NetJets.
NJASAP is outraged by this egregious
conduct, which we view as unlawful surveillance of protected union
activity.
During an hour-long meeting held late Thursday afternoon, the
pilot was badgered with the same questions asked repeatedly and in
multiple ways about protected Union activity. This occurred even
after the pilot was falsely reassured at the meeting's outset that
the issue and line of inquiry was not about picketing activity.
"Management's line of questioning suggests this was a picketing
logistics fishing expedition," NJASAP President Capt. Pedro Leroux said. "NJASAP and our members are
outraged by this egregious conduct, which we view as unlawful
surveillance of protected union activity under the Railway Labor
Act."
The hearing was allegedly held in connection to a
similar meeting conducted this past Tuesday morning during
which NJASAP Vice President Paulette
Gilbert, a 23-year NetJets employee with an unblemished
professional record, was interrogated for three hours. Much like
her pilot peer, she was repeatedly questioned about the Union's
lawful and protected activities conducted by NJASAP strategy
officials.
NJASAP considers the ongoing campaign as retaliation and
intimidation for its lawful public-facing campaign. The parties
recently signed a $1.6B, five-year
collective bargaining agreement, following a contentious labor
dispute during which NJASAP members engaged in informational
picketing and other demonstrations – as is their legal right
to do – to focus public attention on the
dispute.
"A tense labor-management relationship in the aviation industry
is nothing new – even though I do not recall such a level of animus
ever being directed at the pilot group," Leroux said. "The fact,
however, is this: The pilot group ratified a five-year deal
approximately 45 days ago, and our Contract Administration Team
will make for absolute certain that the wages, benefits and working
conditions memorialized in our contract are followed to the letter.
Any violation of our members' rights will be addressed in the
proper forum."
Despite the Union's insistence that the parties' time is far
better spent by focusing on the unprecedented demand for the
NetJets product, management behavior has signaled a much greater
interest in exacting a pound of flesh than accepting the Union's
olive branch.
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.GenuineQS.com, and www.njasap.com, or find
us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/njasap,
Instagram, www.instagram.com/njasap, and
Twitter, @njasap.
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SOURCE NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
(NJASAP)