family matters - njasap family · family matters | winter 2014 3 the nmb may notify the u.s....

Family Matters | Winter 2014 1

FamilyMatters

Inside Family Matters Welcome 2

In Focus: The Railway Labor Act (RLA) 3

Events Gallery 4

Hansell’s [4] Concessions 6

Negotiations | Who are the Players? 7

Family Forum & Upcoming Events 8

Family Awareness ProgramNetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots | NJASAP630 Morrison Road, Suite 110 Gahanna, Ohio 43230

Program Chair Jen Sumner | [email protected] | https://www.facebook.com/njasapfap

2 Family Matters | Winter 2014

WelcomeFellow NJASAP Family Member,

Like you, protecting my family and enhancing our quality of life motivates me each and every day. It informs most every aspect of my decision making, and now that I serve as the NJASAP President, some of those very decisions will affect more than 2,700 families. I take that responsibility very seriously, and that is why I view the NJASAP Family Awareness Program as one of our Union’s most important bargaining-time initiatives.

The roots of family awareness can be traced to 1985 when the United Airlines pilots were faced with the possibility of a strike. In the months leading up to the job action, Union leaders came to understand pilot families knew very little about the process of negotiations and the road that would ultimately lead to a strike. This realization led to the Air Line Pilots Association’s (ALPA) first Family Awareness Program. Without question, the United pilot’s program was central to the success of their work action and would ultimately serve as the blueprint for hundreds of similar programs in the ensuing decades.

Engaging families in the negotiating process is essential to NJASAP’s ability to stand strong and secure a tentative agreement that reflects the skill, professionalism and dedication of our pilots. I wholeheartedly believe this, and for that reason, building a strong family support network is a priority for this organization.

Our families are directly affected by contract negotiations, and given this management group’s predilection for sending threatening and frightening letters to your homes, it has become very clear that NJASAP families not only need, but require our support.

As the process continues and we move from direct talks to mediation, which we believe is very likely, more and more conversations about negotiations will take place around your kitchen table. We want to take the uncertainty out of the process and ensure you understand exactly what is taking place because we know every pilot will need his or her family’s support to stay the course. Without question, as contract talks become even more contentious, keeping family members informed and supported is one of the best things we can do

for ourselves both strategically and personally. As a child, I remember when my father, a mechanic, lost his job at Eastern Airlines and the union gave workers canned beans to eat during the strike. During difficult times when paying the bills and putting food on the table is a challenge, having a support system at work and at home is absolutely vital.

Certainly, we are not at the point of a strike, but we dealing with a brutal contract negotiation and continuing threats from NetJets management that could affect our livelihoods. This combined with a dramatic acceleration in the pace of flight operations and a far longer duty day would make anyone reluctant to discuss the situation, leaving pilots stressed and spouses frustrated. And this is where Family Awareness can help. You have a variety of tools at your fingertips to stay informed – program events, email, Facebook, the njasapfamily.com web site, and Twitter. Additionally, you can chat with other spouses, partners and significant others on the Family Forum of the NJASAP Message Board. You can learn more about this resource and how to register on page eight. It is here that you can talk with others about shared experiences and discuss concerns openly in a respectful, supportive environment.

The importance of family cannot be overestimated, and the NJASAP Family Awareness Program serves an indispensable role in keeping you informed, building a nationwide family support network and serving as a resource for you throughout negotiations. Your participation and support is essential to our success. Should you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected] or email me directly, [email protected].

Sincerely,

Pedro Leroux President


RailwayTHE

LABOR ACTTHE NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS

Collective bargaining unsuccessful and talks deadlock.

Union or company requests, or National Mediation Board (NMB) offers, mediation. Must be within 10 days of failure of collective bargaining talks.

Collective bargaining is successful and an agreement for a new contract is reached.

Collective bargaining (more commonly referred to as contract negotiations) begins. Only the union and company are involved. There are no time limits on the process.

NMB assigns mediator and mediation begins. No time limits are associated with this process.

Mediation is unsuccessful and talks deadlock. As final step in mediation, NMB offers binding arbitration.

Union or company rejects offer of binding arbitration.

The first 30-day cooling off period begins. Mediated talks or supermediation may continue in an effort to reach an agreement for a new contract prior to the expiration of cooling off period.

Supermediation is unsuccessful and the 30-day cooling off period expires.


The NMB may notify the U.S. President of a possible threat to commerce. Absent federal government intervention, the Union decides whether to accept the company’s final offer or to go on strike. In the case of the latter, the company may, among other things, change work rules and rates of pay and institute a lockout.

Mediation is successful and an agreement for a new contract is reached.

Union and company accept NMB offer of binding arbitration during which hearings are held and a binding award made. The new contract is imposed upon both parties.

Supermediation is successful and an agreement is reached.

RailwayTHE

LABOR ACT

The RLA is a federal law that governs labor relations in the railroad and airline industries. The law was passed in 1926 by President Calvin Coolidge to avoid work stoppages that threaten to substantially interrupt interstate commerce. The legisla-tion guides most collective bargaining processes and grievance procedures and seeks to substitute bargaining, arbitration, and mediation for strikes.

NJASAP pilots should know their contract is subject to the RLA. The underpinnings of the RLA are for the company and union to resolve their differences before a work stoppage.


DALLAS9.19.14

An evening at the Jumpstreet Trampoline Park gave Dallas

families an opportunity to become better acquainted while enjoying pizza and some trampoline time.

CHARLOTTE8.15.14

Charlotte families beat the summer heat at the Pineville Ice House for an ice skating

event and pizza.

events gallery

BOSTON10.25.14

NJASAP families gathered for brunch and a tour of

Fenway Park.


DENVER8.23.14

NJASAP families gathered at the Wings Over the Rockies

Air & Space Museum for lunch and a tour.

ORLANDO7.26.14

Orlando families enjoyed lunch and a cruise down the St. Johns River aboard the Barbara Lee, an authentic sternwheel paddleboat.

PITTSBURGH9.21.14

NJASAP families enjoyed tailgating and a ballgame

when the Pittsburgh Pirates took to the field against the

Milwaukee Brewers.

SEATTLE8.24.14

Seattle families enjoyed pizza and a baseball game when the Tacoma Rainiers

took to the field for the final game of the season.


Consider this …You are a 12-year captain, and you have just received word that you have been involuntarily downgraded and forced off the 18-day schedule. You are paying an additional 25 percent of your healthcare costs, your PTO accrual has been cut in half, your salary has been frozen at 2007 levels, and you are paying a premium to maintain disability benefits. Of course, you now have the opportunity to earn a performance bonus unless you get sick, tired, have the misfortune of being assigned to an aircraft that is not airworthy and/or management ends the program without notice.

This, my friends, is how pilot careers at NetJets will change if we agree to Jordan Hansell’s four concessions. We cannot – we must not – give an inch.

A Tale of Deep Concessions At a late October NetJets Townhall meeting, CEO Jordan Hansell stated unequivocally that he was not seeking concessions at the bargaining table. If he was referring to tasty treats from the state fair, then he would be correct; but, this discussion is not about cotton candy or deep fried Twinkies, it is about your family’s financial future.

The Membership’s view of the four concessions as anything other than a full frontal assault on our livelihoods and fundamental rights as Union members was not something your Negotiators contemplated. However, comments from a few pilots after the Hansell presentation indicated that either I have done a poor job explaining the company’s primary bargaining goals or some within our ranks have made very little effort to fully consider their impact. It is critical that each of us understands the ramifications of the company proposals and reject any company presentation that characterizes the concessions as reasonable.

The four concessions include:

1) achieving NetJets business sustainability targets,2) increasing CBA scalability,3) implementing a competitive benefits structure, and 4) enhancing business continuity by prohibiting sympathy activity.

Your Negotiating Committee is set to begin an on-going education series that takes an in-depth look at each concession and how they would be achieved. The series will begin with a high level overview of each one.

Achieve NetJets Business Sustainability Targets The company plans to reduce global costs by five percent throughout a five-year period in one percent increments. Rather than set their sights on reducing the current pay scale, management negotiators intend to extract cost savings from other areas of the contract. For example, they plan to eliminate PTO sell back provisions, to reduce the after midnight event penalty by half should the company deem the issue “beyond its control,” and to force you to utilize less expensive modes of transportation such as buses, trains and ferries.

Increase CBA Scalability The company plans to “tailor” the work force to match demand on a seasonal basis. This plan would allow management to meet flight demand with a smaller work force while theoretically reducing the requirement to utilize vendors during busy periods and possibly avoiding furlough during slower ones. The company proposal would allow for the automatic downgrade of captains whenever the PIC/SIC ratio exceeds 60/40 percent; currently 77 percent of pilots on the seniority list holds a captain slot. Awarded duty schedules would no longer be protected, giving the company the ability to assign pilots to the 7&7 or 18-Day schedules as demand dictates. Your schedule preference would be inconsequential in this schema, preventing you from planning your annual budget or your vacations with any degree of certainty.

Implement a Competitive Benefits Structure Management maintains the benefit package provided to the pilot group is entirely too generous and must be reduced in order to ensure the viability of the company. To achieve their goals, pilots would be required to pay a significant portion of the costs of company-provided healthcare. Non-bargaining employees currently pay approximately 25 percent of W2 block 12c healthcare costs. Additionally, PTO accrual would be reduced by half to six days per year, and long term disability benefits would be reduced by 33 percent, and you would be required to pay the premium to secure coverage.

Enhance Business Continuity by Prohibiting Sympathy Activity The company has demanded we surrender our right to exercise one of the most fundamental rights of unionized employees – honoring the primary picket line of another unionized labor group. Hansell has stated he “will not be held hostage” by the Union with this contractual provision. To be clear, the company is concerned with our honoring the potential primary picket line of our flight attendants or mechanics should their deliberations with the company breakdown. This, my friends is leverage.

Obviously, Jordan Hansell and NJASAP Negotiators define concessions in drastically different ways. And if any member believes Hansell when says his goals in this round of bargaining are not concessionary, I implore you to think again. As I mentioned previously, this is the first in a series of communications that will discuss the concessions in greater detail. Should you have any questions about this or any aspect of bargaining, please do not hesitate to contact the Negotiating Committee, [email protected].

This piece was authored by NJASAP Negotiating Committee Co-Chair Mike Pascalar.


The Players

Capt. Mike Pascalar Co-Chair

Capt. Mark Luthi Co-Chair

Capt. Michael Moon

Capt. Peggy Carnahan

First Officer Paul Flynn

Jon Wentz and Troy Beynon

us them

lawyers

Mike Maratto VP Labor Relations

Mark Okey VP Labor Contract

Compliance

Eric Lampert Director Flight Operations

Jennifer Beale and Julie Grunenwald

Misc. Services - Doug Henneberry, Dave Benson and

Todd Jewell

lawyers



Dear NJASAP Family Member,

The NJASAP Family Awareness Program is pleased to announce the NJASAP Family Forum is now available! We hope you find the site extremely helpful and feel better connected to one another. Sharing your life with a pilot puts you in a special category, and this forum is a way to connect with those who share this common bond. Here, you can ask questions, get answers, and discuss feelings all while building friendships and unity. This is a great place to learn something new.

The Forum Registration Form has been attached to this email in PDF. Let’s start some great conversations: Complete and return the form to us today!

Please post anything and everything that interests you. Examples include, but are by no means limited to, union activities, healthcare questions, fitness and healthy living, NetJets propaganda, hobbies, vacation spots, news articles, and money-saving ideas.

Expressing differences of opinion is healthy and encouraged; but, please be courteous and disagree respectfully. Do not take comments personally or make them personal. The keyboard sometimes gives us the courage to say things we would never say to someone in person. Please consider this if you are feeling angry or hostile. Remember, there is a person on the other side who has feelings. Personal attacks, religious and political discussions, profanity, name calling, and bad behavior in general will not be tolerated. Please read and abide by the NJASAP Message Board Terms of Service.

We encourage each of you to download the Tapatalk app to your smartphone, which makes the process of staying connected even easier.

Enjoy the NJASAP Family Forum: It was created specifically for you!

In unity,

Capt. Paulette Gilbert Capt. Jennifer Sumner

Follow NJASAP on Twitter @NJASAP

Like NJASAP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/njasap

Like NJASAP Family Awareness Program on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/njasapfap

Contact NJASAP Family Awareness: [email protected]

Contact NJASAP: [email protected]

contacts

SPONSORSHIP FORM

The Sponsorship Form serves as an NJASAP member’s request to provide access to the NJASAP Family Forum of the NJASAP Message Board to the member’s spouse, partner or significant other listed below. By signing and submitting this form, the member agrees to sponsor his or her spouse, partner or significant other’s access to the Family Forum and confirm the registrant has read, understands and agrees to abide by the NJASAP Message Board Terms of Service.

Name of Spouse, Partner or Significant Other

Sponsor’s Name

Member Number

Sponsor’s Signature Date

Please email this completed form to [email protected] or [email protected]. You may also fax it to 614.863.2020.

upcoming eventsBecause the holidays and first of the year are a very hectic time for families, the NJASAP Family Awareness Program is not scheduled to host another event until February. Program administrators have tentatively selected Los Angeles and San Francisco as the first cities to visit in 2015. Parties to coincide with the Superbowl are also being discussed. As details are finalized, they will be announced via social media and email.

family matters - njasap family · family matters | winter 2014 3 the nmb may notify the u.s....

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