Great letter found on the internet.......Apparently, there are enough signatures on a petition to force a recall election of both Gary Hummel and Steve Bradford, so let's look at the reasons this might make sense.
Even if you voted and was an early supporter of Gary, you must be aware of how much has changed since he was elected.
It was no secret at USAPA Headquarters that Gary was having secret communications with West BPR Reps and having secret meetings with company representatives when he was the Executive Vice President. While in that position, he often undermined the leadership of USAPA and then later ran for that office. After he was elected President, meetings with the company continued without any accountability to the pilots here and the BPR. One of his main campaign promises: "I will be transparent in my dealings with the company and the west."
Even if you voted for the MOU, you must admit that how it was negotiated was not what was envisioned when USAPA was formed. In the case of the MOU, it was done in secret negotiations by the NAC and Hummel with little or no input by the BPR. It was handed to the BPR as a Fait Accompli (a done deal) only it wasn't a done deal. The BPR with Steve Crimi as the instigator, refused to accept it "AS IS" and demanded retroactive pay. Hummel fought against retroactive pay and attempted to sway the BPR to vote for the MOU as it was negotiated because he was afraid the company would not go for it. He was the company's representative that day. The BPR held firm in it's belief that we had not gotten anywhere near enough so on December 30, remember who fought for and who fought against that nice big fat retroactive check.
Who knows how much more we could have gotten if we had been unified in our demands instead of being handed a secret deal? But it was too late after the BPR was shown the document that had been agreed to, to do more than ask for the barest of demands.
Arguments have been made by some of Gary's supporters that we would never have gotten a better deal and of course, there is no way to prove or disprove any of this. But this pattern of behavior of meeting with the APA, the Management, and Government officials behind the backs of the BPR and then giving them few details of what these meetings are all about continues to this day. If it was all above board, he would give the BPR advance notice of these meetings and report the outcome, if necessary in closed session. But they are not told. I have been fortunate enough to have the confidence of past officers and BPR members and not one has ever betrayed the confidentiality of a closed session.
Resolution after resolution by the entire BPR have been passed and then ignored by Hummel. He has become a one man union and we all remember what happened when ALPA met secretly and decided our retirement fates without our knowledge. That was why USAPA was formed. To correct the inadequacies of a union that could make life changing decisions without your knowledge or vote. Do we really want someone negotiating or even giving the appearance of negotiating in secret at this most important time? The answer of course is NO!
Then we move on to the next important reason Gary should be removed if he won't step down voluntarily. Last June, he suffered what by all accounts was a near death heart attack. He had to be revived twice with defibrillator paddles. Whether you agree with Gary or disagree with him, everyone can agree that you would never wish this on anyone. It soon had to become apparent to Gary that he would be too sick to continue the stressful and grueling work of USAPA President that is myriad in legal battles, merging to make the largest airline in the world with a union that in the past has thrown the other unions under a very big bus and with a management group that is considered the most anti-union in the industry. Gary should have resigned and allowed a healthy pilot with as much knowledge of the issues that Gary has to continue the necessary work of representing 5000 pilots and their families!
But this is not what happened. Gary at first kept his physical condition a secret under the guise that his health was a private matter. But when it affects thousands of people, his health must became a public matter. If he wanted it kept secret, he should have resigned and we would all wish him the very best. Look, if he was unconscious, would we not be entitled to know or should it too be kept a secret? His physical condition was important because it affects us all!
The first major issue to arise that showed how Gary's physical condition affected us was when he could not attend the Addington II Trial in PHX. Gary was scheduled to testify at that trial, the judge was informed by his doctor that he could travel and testify and then our attorneys had to tell the judge that there had been a mix up and Gary would not attend. How important this all might be will only come to light when the judge makes her ruling. But to say she was not happy with Gary's "no-show" would be an understatement. It's obvious that Gary did not attend the trial, not because he had something to hide but because he was too sick to travel and attend. But the judge now has her doubts. When will the next time happen?
Then there is the problem of Gary's status. Gary's argument is that he can remain USAPA President indefinitely because he is not on medical status. The company pays him so he does not need to use his sick time, he is paid a full month of flying (A330) plus a very generous override, so therefore he is not required to step down. Gary asked the company to give their opinion and they did by agreeing that Gary can remain President as long as he wants. The company should stay the hell out of our union business. That just adds to the suspicion that there is more here than we know about. USAPA was set up so that an officer would never be treated any differently than any other pilot here. Until now.
The question has to be asked. Why is Gary putting himself in such a precarious situation with his health unless there is a reason? It can't be that he is just too stubborn to step down. He is a smart man. His obligation is to himself and his family. If there were no others that could do what he is doing, I might tell you how brave he is. But that's just not the case. We have several good people here that could step in immediately. No, there is another reason Gary refuses to step down and that are what most concerns the pilots here. There is obviously an ulterior motive to remain in sole control of this union and continue to meet secretly with outside parties again with no accountability to the BPR. He opens the door of suspicion that he is remaining in office, secretly dealing so that after the dust settles, he has a nice permanent non-flying position in the New American. We have seen this movie before and it ends well for the Union President but not so well for the rank and file.
Steve Bradford is another matter. Steve was the front man of USAPA's formation. Many others did the heavy lifting, but Steve was the spokesman and the face of USAPA. He told all of us how this would be a different union with none of the irregularities or corruption of ALPA. Yet, now he stands silently as Gary corrupts the power of the Presidency and in the process, casts doubt as to what is happening behind the scenes at USAPA. We expected better from him. Steve is a very honest man, but by being mute to Gary's actions, he bares some of the responsibility for what is happening.
Gary could avoid all this if he steps down for his health and for the good of the pilots he says he cares about. If not, he will be immeasurably damaged by a recall that even if he survives will hurt his ability to fight for us. What choices do we have? Allow him to remain in office, sick and quietly dealing behind our backs or remove him by recall. He has brought all this on himself but in the process, he is hurting all of us.
