The Union Volunteer Network (UVN) relies on pilot advocate volunteers to function. The stronger the volunteer development and advocate talent pool, the greater the opportunity NJASAP has to remain an effective labor organization. There has been a lot of discussion on the topic, but how are our volunteers currently being developed, and what are the suggestions for improvement?

Current Volunteer Development

The Pilot-to-Pilot (P2P) committee is the normal starting point for a new pilot advocate. P2P offers a valuable membership outreach capability and the opportunity for volunteers to gain experience that will follow them through the UVN.

Within P2P, there are several resources available to them. The first worth noting is the constant access to other volunteers, union leadership, and the executive board. While available to the entire membership, this is especially important for new volunteers as they begin to engage with the membership on behalf of NJASAP. 

As other volunteer positions open up, the members within P2P are first solicited, allowing them to keep growing in the network. Normally, this would include specialized training in a specific contractual area.

The last resource available is Union 101, which is a program designed to bring a class of volunteers into CMH to specially train them on union operations. Through the lectures of our lawyers, SME’s, and the executive board, volunteers gain a valuable sense of connection and education to the work they do for NJASAP.

How can this be improved?

Within each committee in the Labor-Managment Relationship Program, there is a chairperson from both the company and the union. The union chairman serves as the SME of the topics addressed within their committee. As one could have guessed, it takes an incredible amount of commitment and knowledge to chair some of these committees. Having replacements, depth, and knowledge throughout the UVN is extremely valuable to remain effective. The senior volunteers who once made up our stewards council, negotiation committee, and chairpeople are finding themselves at the end of their careers looking to instill the same knowledge and passion into the next group of pilots. It’s important for NJASAP leadership to properly facilitate this.

I am proposing the additional appointments of vice-chairpeople or Team Leads to diversify and deepen the SME’s across the UVN. Given the time and knowledge it takes someone to become a chairperson, it is very difficult to fill that position. By having a network of vice-chairpeople who can constantly work through different committees,  this solves numerous issues:

1. When a chairperson of a highly technical committee steps away from their role as a volunteer, we would now have a network of UVN leadership well prepared to fill that role without creating an opening somewhere else.

2. As a vice-chair, these volunteers will begin to learn UVN leadership from their chairperson, deepening their effectiveness in a way they wouldn’t have been able to before.

3. With the daily workload of the committee, someone elevated by the vice-chair, the chair can now focus on addressing systemic concerns and committee member training.

The NetJets pilot membership will continue to grow, and this is a great opportunity to keep pilot advocates as our labor representative and continue to increase UVN capacity.

As a member of the Safety Committee, Carter possesses the knowledge and skillset required to implement actual change to our operations. This came from the regular safety meetings with both company management and the FAA through the duties as a voting ASAP representative.

Aviation safety requires deliberate intention from each flight crew member within an operation, and Carter will fight to ensure every member feels empowered to continue to make hard decisions in the best interest of safety.

Pilots are the SME’s in the decisions made while flying the line and should be a contributing member of every NetJets voluntary safety program. While progress is being made, it’s important that leadership continues to support the safety committee in its process to address these concerns.

As a member of the safety committee currently engaged in the safety issues within our operation, Carter is the clear VP candidate for safety.

FORWARDunified is a great opportunity for NJASAP to re-engage with the membership in the way the pilot group is demanding. A vision forward requires an aligned executive board, clear goals, and a leadership team willing to meet the membership in the capacity being asked of them. As the membership evolves, so will the requirement for NJASAP messaging styles.

Carter has contributed positively to the culture within the UVN. As the Chairman of P2P where we have a strong group of volunteers in P2P, it’s important that they know their voices matter. When people see the products of their suggestions come to life, they stay engaged and that’s what makes NJASAP effective. A VP can only accomplish so much alone as success comes from a unified UVN.