Policy 14 consultations: Help us secure a better pregnancy & parental leave policy

The proposed revised version of Policy 14 – Pregnancy and Parental Leaves (including Adoption) is now posted for consultation with the UW community. The proposed changes would take us from having one of the worst pregnancy and parental leave policies in the province to one of the best.

The FAUW Board believes the changes would dramatically improve the lives of FAUW members, promote employment equity, and increase Waterloo’s competitiveness both nationally and globally. We are asking members to help ensure the proposed policy is approved.

What we like about the new policy

These are the improvements we’re most pleased with:

• More weeks of supplemental benefits: up to 35 weeks for birth parents (vs. 23 in the current policy) and 20 weeks for non-birth parents (vs. 17 weeks). 
• No more shared supplemental benefits when both parents are UW employees. 
• More flexible return-to-work arrangements, including 1) a temporary return-to-work option for the birth parent, between a pregnancy and parental leave; and 2) a temporary reduced workload option for parents returning from a parental leave.
• Clearer teaching workload adjustments for faculty upon returning to work.
• Immediate eligibility for new faculty, even those not yet eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).

This helpful memorandum from the committee articulates the proposed changes in more detail, provides the rationale, and includes the full proposed policy. The current version of the policy is available on the Secretariat's website.

The consultation period ends December 18. In the new year, the Faculty Relations Committee (FRC) and Staff Relations Committee will review the collected feedback and negotiate changes to the draft. FAUW's position in these negotiations will be informed by the feedback we get from you. 

Hearing that faculty members are in strong support of the revised policy will help make sure it passes at FRC and then again at the Board of Governors. 

How you can help

[Note that the consultation period has now ended, but the policy has not yet been approved.[

1. Email us at fauw@uwaterloo.ca to tell us what you like about the policy or share suggestions for improvement.
2. Talk to your colleagues—both faculty and staff—about why this policy is important and ask them to submit feedback. Bring it up at a department meeting. Share this page or the consultation website on social media. 
3. Tell the administration. Talk to your chair and your dean and ask them to share their support higher up the admin chain.
4. Email the Secretariat. Provide feedback directly to the Secretariat at uw.policy@uwaterloo.ca.