The Teamsters Airline Division and Local 284 are stepping up pressure on NetJets over its wage and outsourced maintenance concerns. They are now sending letters to NetJets owners outlining complaints about wages that the union said are below that of major airlines and saying it would “categorically reject” the idea NetJets workers must compete against lower-cost vendors. “In our opinion, a race to the bottom doesn’t serve anyone’s best interests in aviation—not yours and not ours,” the letters tell NetJets customers.

“NetJets Aviation, Inc. and NetJets Sales, Inc. employ a mere 111 mechanics to work on its fleet of approximately 400 aircraft. Compare that to a major airline that employs over 7,000 mechanics to service its fleet of approximately 700 aircraft,” said Chris Moore, chairman of the Aviation Mechanics Coalition. “To make the subcontracting problem worse, mechanics and support employees at NetJets haven’t received a wage increase in more than five years.”

The union added that it hopes to schedule in-person meetings with customers and other members of public to discuss the labor dispute.

NetJets called the Teamsters charges “misleading rhetoric” unrelated to operational concerns and said it “is intended to advance the union’s agenda in negotiations over a new contract for approximately 215 represented maintenance professionals employed by NetJets…These tactics do little to help the parties reach agreement. Instead, they spread confusion and outright misinformation.”

NetJets said its aircraft are “maintained to the highest levels of safety by a network of trained, skilled and experienced aviation professionals that includes NetJets team members, the aircraft manufacturers (OEMs) and their authorized support facilities, and other qualified and approved partners.”

Len Beauchemin, managing director of maintenance consultantcy specialist AeroTechna Solutions (which advises on both airline and business aviation maintenance issues), told AIN, "Outsourcing is a very common practice among the air carriers at the global level. NetJets will remain accountable for its selection and vetting of its vendors, as this is clearly identified by the regulations and their approved OpsSpecs."

The latest action follows a similar protest the union made last fall after NetJets affiliate Executive Jet Management discussed phasing out its maintenance operations in White Plains, New York, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Representatives handed out fliers titled, “Broken Planes, Broken Promises,” which stated, “Subcontracting maintenance reduces jobs and decreases oversight...keep the jobs and the oversight at NetJets for the good of all of us.”

“We are committed to providing the best possible service to our customers by focusing on our growing core business of aircraft management and charter services,” an EJM spokesman said at the time of the union's announcement.