August 2005

As a grievance handler for the Coalition of University Employees (CUE), UM Law alumna Tracy Smith Hyman represents clerical employees at UCLA. With over 3,500 clerical employees at UCLA, Tracy handles 95% of the employees' grievances. (Member stewards handle the rest.) Tracy conducts grievance interviews, investigates possible contract violations and unfair labor practices, represents the Union in arbitration and unfair labor practice hearings, and negotiates settlement agreements. She also trains and mentors members who are stewards.

"I love my job and the best part is the interaction with the employees. I'm very lucky in what I get to do. Even when we don't win, I get to give people with grievances a voice and help them express themselves. It is an emotional job, but it's very satisfying to empower people." Prior to working for CUE, Tracy worked as a grievance attorney for the American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. for three years.

Tracy graduated from Tufts University in 1993 with a degree in English. During college she spent her summers in Washington, D.C. studying in Gallaudet University's American Sign Language Summer Program. It was her interest in sign language that generated her initial interest in the law. President Bush had signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and Tracy was interested in doing advocacy work for the deaf.

During law school, Tracy clerked with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In addition, she was the opinion's editor for the school's newspaper, a finalist in the moot court competition during her first year, and one of four finalists for the graduation speaker at commencement. "I took some labor and employment law courses in law school and mediation and arbitration classes are also important for my field of work, but my summer job with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was the most helpful because it was such a great hands-on experience."

After graduating and passing the Florida Bar, Tracy decided to move to D.C. to be closer to Gallaudet University. She took a job as a program planning attorney for the Department of Continuing Legal Education at Georgetown University's Law Center, coordinating conferences and other programs for three years until she moved to the American Foreign Service Association in 1999.

Tracy's hometown is Stuart, Florida. She lives with her husband, Scott, in Los Angeles. In their free time, they like to travel and Tracy makes jewelry.