2026 Memorandum of Agreement Revisions

Our Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlines how the UWSA and the University work together. It sets the framework for how terms and conditions of staff employment are determined, and it’s foundational to our role as your representative.

Over the past several months, we’ve worked closely with the University on an updated version, which is now in effect as of April 9. 

This latest version is the next step in a long trajectory that began in 1975, when UW formally recognized the UWSA as the voice of staff. Since then, we’ve steadily expanded staff representation—documenting our working relationship in 1997, creating dispute‑resolution processes in the 2000s, and crafting our first substantial MoA with guaranteed dues in 2022. This latest update builds on these foundations to strengthen how staff are heard and supported. 

Key changes in this updated MoA include:

  • Compensation negotiations: replacing PACSC with negotiations, mediation, and binding arbitration.
  • Association grievances: introducing a process for the UWSA to address broader, systemic issues with access to third‑party, binding arbitration.
  • Member participation rights: clarifying and strengthening protections for participating in UWSA activities and accessing UWSA support.
  • Guidelines: introducing guidelines into the MoA, including requiring the University to notify and engage with the UWSA when they are created or revised.

Together, these changes strengthen our ability to advocate for you by introducing enforceable processes, independent dispute resolution, and clearer rights for staff.

You can read the full breakdown of every change on the ‘What’s changing’ page.

Dive deeper

The 2025–2026 revision process

  • In spring 2025, we created an internal project team of Board members, UWSA presidents, and employees to plan for revisions.
  • We notified UW of our intent to review, and they generally agreed to our proposed deadline of spring 2026.
  • We gathered ideas from members and our Board of Directors about what issues to pursue, and surveyed members to prioritize these ideas.
  • We started discussions about the process with UW: Staff Relations Committee struck a joint working group, and we have agreement on updating the Agreement by spring 2026, with a focus on the process for staff compensation agreements, and who we represent and how staff are defined across the MoA and policy.
  • We presented and gathered more feedback at the October Area Representatives meeting, and shared an update at the 2025 Annual Meeting.
  • The joint working group began discussions in November. The University and UWSA presidents issued a joint statement about the revisions.
  • On March 13, 2026, the joint working group reached a tentative agreement, which was shared with all UWSA members on March 23 following a final legal and board review.
  • Voting opened on March 30 and closes April 8.

What is the Memorandum of Agreement?

The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlines the formal relationship between the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) and the University of Waterloo (UW). It recognizes UWSA as the official representative voice of all "University Support Group" (USG) staff, with a few exceptions for senior leaders, and establishes our joint approach to working together through committees on managing issues and policies impacting staff.

What the MoA does for you

  • It establishes a staff voice in things like salary and policies.
  • It gives members the right to get support from the UWSA in discipline cases.
  • It provides release time so the president and directors can do UWSA work.
  • It protects the security and privacy of our information.

What's not in the MoA

The MoA is solely about the relationship between UWSA and UW, and staff rights relating to participation in the association. Staff working conditions are currently covered in university policies. The MoA is how we decide terms of employment but not what those terms actually are. 

The MoA also doesn't cover how we govern ourselves and how much our dues are. We're an independent organization, and those are things the university has no say in. Our governing rules are in our by-laws, and per our by-law, dues are set by the board based on what we need to keep operating and serving members.

Health and dental benefits are determined by the Pension & Benefits Committee, with reps from across employee groups.

A brief history of our relationship with UW

  1. 1975
    1. The UWSA was recognized by UW as the official representative of staff.
  2. 1997
    1. "UW & UWSA: A Working Relationship" first documented the structure of our relationship.

  3. 2000
    1. Dispute resolution mechanisms and formal policies protecting staff rights were developed throughout the early 2000s.

  4. 2008
    1. The first MoA described existing decision-making committees and how members are appointed to them.

  5. 2022
    1. A major overhaul of the MoA added automatic dues for new staff + formalized roles and participation rights

  6. 2026
    1. The latest MoA strengthened UWSA’s representation capacity by adding compensation negotiations and formalizing association-level grievances, both with the option of binding arbitration.