Unionized employees at NetJets relaunch labor coalition

The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, known as NJASAP, and Teamsters Local 284 have relaunched the NetJets Unions Coalition or NUC.

NJASAP represents the 3,400-plus pilots who fly for NetJets Aviation, Inc.

Teamsters Local 284 represents approximately 575 NetJets dispatchers, flight attendants, maintenance controllers, mechanics, and stock clerks.

The announcement states, “The unions originally formed the Coalition in early 2014 when they were engaged in protracted and highly contentious contract negotiations with the air carrier on behalf of their respective members.”

“While the issues may differ today in comparison to 10 years ago, reestablishing (NUC) emphasizes the importance of solidarity across our labor groups – speaking with one voice as we attempt to re-engage NetJets in a dialogue about several pressing matters, including increases in discipline, operational and safety-related issues and a decrease in constructive communication with management,” NJASAP President Capt. Pedro Leroux said.

Teamsters Local 284 President Mark Vandak said, “Local 284 and the employees we represent want a positive labor-management relationship with NetJets, but the personnel on the other side of the table must have the same objective to make it work. Some of our Local 284-represented employee groups believe that is lacking today, which leads to a breakdown in communication and avoidable conflict at NetJets.”

Leroux said, “The pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, and mechanics have a front-row seat to issues that demand management’s attention, and they speak through their unions. Constructive engagement with union representatives is important and beneficial not only to unionized employees but also to our operations and customers.”

“Standing the union coalition back up at NetJets is the right thing to do: It gives us an opportunity to work together across crafts to address common concerns and to solve problems that affect multiple groups of employees,” Vandak said.

NetJets and NJASAP

After a contentious year of negotiations, NJASAP members secured a $1.6 billion increase in compensation through the end of their agreement in 2029.

Pilots voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification by a 78.31% to 21.69% margin.

However, NJASAP has continued its public rhetoric against the world’s largest private jet operator since then.

Last month, it issued a press release accusing Berkshire Hathaway unit’s management of conducting “coercive” interrogations of pilots.

The union alleged, “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.”