CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flexjet LLC, a leading provider of fractional jet ownership, today announced that a lawsuit against the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) and its operatives will move forward now that a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge has denied the defendants’ request to dismiss the case on a technicality.
The complaint filed by Flexjet, Flight Options, its managers and employees against NJASAP and NetJets Pilot Jeffrey Stein states that the union and its operatives sent hundreds of vulgar, threatening and malicious mailings to the homes of company managers and employees who spoke up in support of a May 2018 union decertification election. In at least one instance, a recipient called a fire department and explosives experts in response to receiving a box full of plain white envelopes with no return address. Although these envelopes containing post cards were sent anonymously, a postal investigation revealed the identity of the sender.
The suit seeks damages for these acts of menacing and intimidation. Those bringing suit include line pilots who led the successful grassroots effort to get back to a direct relationship with Flexjet so they could have an individual voice.
“We are pleased that the Judge is letting the case go forward against these defendants for their shameful behavior,” said Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci. “Unions such as NJASAP who were not at all involved with the recent decertification election need to understand they cannot do or say anything they want without consequences. This was not campaign speech or meant to do anything other than maliciously threaten those who spoke up in favor of decertification. This is just another example of how unions such as NJASAP are completely out of touch with employees and why union membership continues to decline.”
The postcard mailings occurred during a 28-day voting period when Flexjet and Flight Options pilots were voting overwhelmingly to oust the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 1108. The NJASAP was not involved in the decertification vote.
About Flexjet
Flexjet first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing. Flexjet’s fractional aircraft program is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 19 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating and is IS-BAO compliant at Level 2. Flexjet’s fractional program fields an exclusive array of business aircraft—some of the youngest in the fractional jet industry, with an average age of approximately six years. In 2015, Flexjet introduced Red Label by Flexjet, which features the youngest fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 25 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Learjet 75LXi, Challenger 350, the Embraer Legacy 450, Global Express, the Gulfstream G450, G500 and G650, and the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets. In addition, the overall jet collection includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Bombardier Challenger 300. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Twitter @Flexjet and on Instagram @FlexjetLLC.
