NetJets pilots will picket the annual shareholders meeting of parent company Berkshire Hathaway tomorrow to protest what they say is the company’s failure to deal with the shortage of flight crew. The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) said it is expected around 1,000 of its members and their families will be outside the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where Berkshire is holding its annual shareholder meeting all day tomorrow.
“Despite the sustained pilot labor crisis, NetJets executives have chosen not to take meaningful steps to attract and to retain talented pilot personnel, putting the brand’s status as the global leader in private air transportation at risk,” NJASAP said.
In March, the group warned NetJets that unless pay and conditions are improved in the course of ongoing midterm contract negotiations, NetJets risks losing flight crew to airlines now offering substantial double-digit increases to attract new employees. It pointed to a survey indicating that almost a quarter of NetJets pilots plan to leave the company within 12 months if contract negotiations are not concluded to their satisfaction.
The pilot’s union accused the company of failing to acknowledge the situation in the labor market and take proactive steps to remain competitive. “NJASAP views this head-in-the-sand stance as unfathomable, especially when we stand ready to partner with management to recapture NetJets’ former cachet, benefitting all Berkshire Hathaway stakeholders,” it concluded.