Originally Posted by B727DRVR

Respectfully, your assertions show a lack of knowledge in the history of Part 91K/Part 135 compensation and working conditions before the Netjets pilots stood up and fought for us all. In 2002, after 9/11, Netjets was one of the ONLY companies hiring from a pool of THOUSANDS of furloughed airline pilots on the street. Working conditions there were awful, IMHO, at the time where you could only live in 5 bases, you had to be in position 12 hours before duty on, and starting pay for an Ultra was $28,000. 21 years is not that long ago that $28,000 was a lot of money. Many jobs, including Flex and Flight Options, were considered better.

When the Netjets pilots “stormed the beaches” in 2005 and fought for/earned their Contract ’05 by picketing Wall Street, Berkshire Hathaway HQ, and the Kentucky Derby, ALL pilots in this sector benefitted by the rising tide created by the Netjets industry-Leading Contract, BEFORE any pilot shortage existed (In fact, there was a pilot surplus with many Part 121 pilots still laid off from September 11). It is a known-fact that you can research on this forum, that pay and QOL increased for Flex and other pilots BECAUSE of the downward pressure created by the Netjets pilot’s CBA. Other companies had to raise their compensation and QOL in order to keep their pilots and to dissuade their pilots from organizing their own Unions to mimic the Netjets pilots successes: My former company specifically noted Netjets Contract ‘05 as a reason that we were getting our pay raises and a 7/7 schedule, and other companies were making similar offerings. WE ALL OWE THE Netjets PILOTS A DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR FIGHTING FOR THEIR Contract ‘05 AND PROVING THAT PART 91K/PART 135 CAN BE A VIABLE CAREER IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY!

While you are correct that the Pilot Shortage has had a HUGE impact on increasing all pilots pay and benefits today, there was NO pilot shortage in 2005 when the efforts of the Netjets pilots created waters that floated all ships higher. We are all better off because of the heavy lifting of the Netjets pilots, and when just one pilot wins, we all win. Netjets pilots proved that it didn’t take a pilot shortage, or supply and demand, to demand better pay and working conditions for themselves and made their jobs, and ours, into a career.. Finally, remember that the rest of the non-represented pilots being at-will employees, those gains can be taken away at any time on the whim of our respective managements, including Flex. Netjets, and all Part 121 pilots, are protected from that through their respective CBA’s.