NetJets has intensified its ongoing labor dispute with its 3,430 unionized pilots by terminating two key union leaders: the NJASAP Vice President and the Strategy Group chair. This move has drawn strong condemnation from the union, NJASAP, which represents the NetJets pilots. The union claims the firings are unlawful, unjust, and a direct retaliation for the pilots’ recent success in securing $1.6 billion in gains during mid-term contract negotiations earlier this year.
NJASAP is vowing to challenge these terminations through the contract-based minor dispute resolution process. President of NJASAP, Capt. Pedro Leroux, strongly condemned the actions, stating that the terminated union leaders were targeted solely for their roles in supporting contract negotiations. He highlighted the impeccable professional records of both individuals, emphasizing that they were not fired due to any performance issues but rather for their union activities.
The union alleges that the company initiated a campaign to gather information about the union’s activities, subjecting several pilots, including the terminated leaders, to aggressive interrogations about their involvement in lawful and protected union activities. The company was particularly interested in gaining information about the union’s participation in informational picketing and demonstrations aimed at bringing public attention to the ongoing labor dispute. Leroux described this behavior as unlawful surveillance of protected union activity, a violation of the Railway Labor Act.
This escalation of the dispute comes at a time when NJASAP had been emphasizing its desire to reset the labor-management relationship with NetJets after the parties signed an agreement in principle earlier this year. Leroux expressed concern that terminating two high-ranking union leaders signifies a strategy that is unsustainable in the long term. He has challenged NetJets CEO Adam Johnson to reconsider the company’s course, urging a shift from adversarial tactics to a good-faith commitment to resolving differences. Leroux emphasized that both parties have the potential to repair their partnership, but only if NetJets abandons its adversarial approach and engages in a collaborative effort to resolve the issues. He believes that the current path is leading to wasted time, money, and energy, hindering both parties from capitalizing on the growth potential within the industry.
