By now I’m sure you’re aware of the termination of Dr. James Tracy and have seen and/or read the continuing media accounts. While we are limited in what we can say about an ongoing personnel matter, the United Faculty of Florida has issued the following statement in the case of Dr. James Tracy and Florida Atlantic University:
The United Faculty of Florida has a legal and ethical obligation to provide fair and vigorous representation in all cases involving our members, the terms and conditions of their employment, and any disciplinary action. UFF and its representatives are doing just that in this case. Since this is a private personnel matter, UFF will not and cannot comment on any of the specifics of this case. The United Faculty of Florida is a labor organization, not an academic panel, and takes no position on Dr. Tracy’s research or any personal positions or opinions he may have. Our responsibility and focus are to ensure that due process and other rights as stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement are being adhered to as we would for any member of the bargaining unit. And those rights are not reserved only for those we agree with or whose speech we find a first glance to be acceptable. As a collective body, the union defends the rights of all the faculty we represent, regardless of how we as individual faculty may feel about the actions of any other faculty member.
Dr. Tracy is being represented by UFF counsel and has been since initial action by FAU in December. Counsel is researching the case and exploring options available to Dr. Tracy.
Bob Zoeller
UFF-FAU President