FAQ: 2026 MoA Revisions

Why is the MoA being updated?

The October 2022 MoA included a clause stating that it would be in place for two years and could be revised after that time. It was always that plan to review the MoA and make improvements after those two years. Last spring, it became clear that the University was open to the changes we wanted to make and the timing was right to act.

How did you decide what to change?

The changes we pursued were based on input we’ve been hearing from members for years, including feedback received during the 2022 MoA process and since then, through member surveys, emails, our suggestion box, annual meetings, Area Representatives, and more. 

In 2025, we formed a project team of Board members, presidents, and UWSA employees to plan the revision. In addition to priorities identified from existing feedback, we gathered new ideas from members, our Board, and Area Representatives, and used a member survey to identify the highest‑priority issues. At the same time, we notified UW of our intent to update the MoA and worked with them to agree on the items we would address in this revision.

Throughout 2025, we continued checking in with members at meetings and through updates, using your input to guide which changes we pursued once we formally began negotiating with UW. As your elected representatives, the Board of Directors reviewed and shaped the changes throughout the negotiations.

Who was involved in negotiating the MoA?

The three UWSA presidents, who serve on both the Staff Relations Committee (SRC) and Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC) were our representatives on the MoA working group with UW. They were assisted by UWSA employees, external legal counsel, and subject matter experts, and also had substantial support and input from elected directors.

How often will the MoA be reviewed in the future?

After two years have passed with this version, we can notify the University that we want to review the MoA at any time. It is also possible to make minor changes in the meantime via SRC as per section 5.3 of the MoA. We anticipate reviewing the agreement every two to three years, though now that we’ve added some major items, future updates likely won’t be as comprehensive. 

Who can vote on the MoA?

For the purposes of this vote, Members in Good Standing are those staff who are UWSA members when the vote opens and who appear on our March dues list. Payroll will have processed March dues from all staff who are members as of March 18.

If you are on leave and paying $0 dues, you’re still considered a Member in Good Standing as long as you were paying dues before you went on leave.

Shouldn’t all staff covered by the MoA be entitled to vote?

Typically—and ideally—all staff covered by an agreement like this would be part of the Association that negotiates it and would take part in the ratification vote. Right now, not all staff are UWSA members. Voting is a legal right and responsibility of the Association’s membership, and we can’t extend that vote to people who haven’t joined.

Everyone covered by the MoA will benefit from it, but only members can take part in approving it. That’s one of the key reasons we continue encouraging eligible staff to join the UWSA.

How will we vote on the MoA?

Voting will take place through the Simply Voting platform. On March 30, all eligible voters will receive an email from the UWSA with a link to the ballot. If you haven’t voted yet, you’ll also receive reminder emails directly from Simply Voting throughout the voting period.

The outcome is decided by a simple majority (50% + 1) of the valid votes cast. You’ll have the option to abstain, but abstentions are not counted when determining the final result—they don’t contribute to either side of the vote.

What if I have suggested changes?

We welcome your ideas—they help shape future updates and guide our advocacy. But once a tentative agreement is reached, the draft can’t be revised; the next step is for members to vote on it.

Your feedback still matters: suggestions we receive now can inform future MoA reviews, and some ideas may be addressed sooner through SRC discussions or policy changes. Minor changes to the MoA are also possible at any time when agreeable by both UWSA and UW, which can be approved via SRC as per section 5.3 of the MoA.

Why is the ratification timeline so short?

For ratification, we’re giving members more time than is standard. In unionized settings, collective agreements (which cover much more than our MoA does, since most aspects of staff working conditions live in policy) are often ratified within just a few days of reaching a tentative deal. It’s normal for unions to provide a short window so the agreement can take effect promptly. 

By contrast, we’re giving members a much longer period to read, ask questions, attend information sessions, and vote. That extra time is intentional—we want members to feel informed, supported, and confident in their decision—and we can take that time because of our unique relationship with the University.

What happens if the MoA isn’t ratified?

If this MoA is not ratified, we revert to the current (2022) version without all of the proposed changes, and to using the Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation to determine salary increases, through a recommendation to the provost.

What does this change for staff in excluded roles?

The MoA does not affect eligibility for employment benefits or protections—or anything else—covered by UW policies. Those all still apply to employees as defined in each policy. We expect that staff in these roles will still receive salary increases—and we know that for this year, these will be based on the Memorandum of Settlement to be negotiated.

What does change is that staff in these roles will no longer pay UWSA dues and are no longer eligible to join the Association as voting member, or use most of our membership services. They can, however, still access all of our public online resources (including forthcoming policy guides) and any of our events that are open to all staff—and we’re happy to continue to answer questions, even if we can’t provide more extensive support.

The last thing we want is for these staff members—especially those in lower-USG roles—to be left without any support. We appreciate that the University has connected with each affected member and staff in applicable units with a central commitment to supporting staff who are ineligible to be UWSA members. We are seeking additional clarity from the University on what ongoing support structures will be in place for excluded staff, we will monitor how these exclusions are working in practice, and we will revisit with the University if necessary. 

This is a significant change after many years of a very small list of exclusions and we understand the impact this will have on many people. We are happy to answer questions or speak with staff about concerns at any time. 

How did you decide which positions are excluded? 

The list of excluded roles was created by the University based on the duties of each role, access to information, and potential conflicts of interest. Some reasons a role might be excluded are:

• It requires regularly acting on behalf of the University in matters directly related to employment conditions, discipline, or grievances. 
• The job duties include high-level, strategic decision making that directly affect staff working conditions.
• The responsibilities of the role would create conflicts of interest that weaken the Association’s ability to negotiate and advocate for staff—or the University’s ability to represent its own interests in negotiations with the Staff Association.

The list of excluded roles will need to be updated regularly as roles change and new roles are created; any new exclusions will follow the same principles and UWSA is committed to ensuring as few roles as possible are excluded.

Examples of excluded roles

1. HR staff involved in hiring or discipline: Someone who helps make decisions about who gets hired, disciplined, or promoted has access to private employee information and influences employment outcomes. That creates a conflict with participating in a group that represents those same employees.
2. Staff in payroll with access to confidential salary data: An employee who handles payroll or sees everyone’s compensation details works with sensitive information that the Association may use in bargaining. Being part of both groups could compromise privacy or fairness.
3. Employees who support labour relations work: Someone who gathers data, prepares reports, or provides advice used by the University in negotiations or grievance processes is directly involved in labour relations. Being part of the Association would create a conflict of interest.
4. Roles that participate in senior level planning affecting staff: Staff who work closely with senior leadership on confidential strategic plans—including plans that could affect staffing levels or organizational change—are excluded because they have early access to information the Association might need to respond to.

Why did we agree to these exclusions?

This was not an easy decision, but it is a necessary and standard arrangement in labour relations; often, these roles are represented by a separate employee group. We worked very hard to arrive at a minimal list that we and the University could both be comfortable with, and 95% of the approximately 3,000 USG at Waterloo staff remain covered by the MoA. Approximately 150 new positions have been added to the list, about half of which are currently filled by UWSA members. 

Despite these difficult losses in membership, this MoA will position the UWSA to more effectively advocate for changes—to policies, compensation, and employment practices—that benefit ALL staff at the University of Waterloo, not just our members.

What happens to current members whose roles become excluded? 

The current members in these roles will have access to some UWSA services—staff advocacy support, events, and discounts—until August 31, 2026. Dues and other member benefits will end as soon as the MoA is in effect. Affected members have been notified of the details of this transition plan. Excluded members who are currently serving on UWSA committees or acting as UWSA representatives will end their terms following ratification of the MoA.

The exclusions are based on job duties and reflect the responsibilities of the role, not the people in them. If a current member in an excluded role later moves into a non-excluded role, they would resume their membership in the UWSA. Likewise, if you’re currently in the UWSA and move into an excluded role, your membership and dues will stop while you’re in that role.

If I move into an excluded role in the future, what does that mean for me?

Any current members moving into an excluded role after the MoA comes into effect will have their membership suspended for the duration of their time in that role. If you move back to an eligible role later, your membership will resume.

If you are Legacy Staff (hired before October 26, 2022) and currently have the right to opt out of dues, you will retain that right after moving back into an eligible role, unless you were on a temporary contract with an end date and sign a net new employment contract.

Tell me more about dues and membership being separate…

This comes from a 1946 Supreme Court ruling by Justice Ivan Rand. Rand ruled that workers can refuse to join their representative organization as members, but they cannot refuse to pay dues or to be represented. It preserves both freedom of association and funding of representation

In our case:

Dues are about funding the work we do on behalf of all staff—advocating for fair salaries, filing grievances, and pushing for better working conditions. As of 2022, everyone covered by the agreement contributes dues because everyone benefits from that work (with an exception for staff hired before the 2022 MoA because dues were not included in employment contracts at the time and we can’t change that unilaterally).

Membership is a governance role under Ontario’s not-for-profit law. Being a member means you choose to take part in elections, vote at meetings, and help shape the direction of the UWSA. It’s a voluntary way to participate in the leadership of your association.

FAUW has the same arrangement: new hires pay dues and get services, but joining as a member is a separate step.

By keeping dues and membership distinct, we stay compliant with the law, maintain a transparent governance structure, and work toward having every staff member who benefits from representation help sustain the Association—while still giving you the choice to participate more deeply in the UWSA’s leadership if you want to.

Yes! While financial and legal advice we’ve received in the past indicated that UWSA dues were already tax-deductible, we now have definitive agreement from the University, and dues will be reported on T4 slips, as of ratification. We’ll issue a statement of your dues paid up until that point after ratification.

When are negotiations happening for 2026?

Salary negotiations are scheduled to take place immediately following ratification of the MoA. Negotiations will follow the same process outlined in the updated MoA, just on a different timeline. We anticipate reaching a settlement by May 1, as noted in our update on March 12.

How will our negotiators be selected?

Months in advance of negotiations, we will strike a Compensation Strategy Working Group, including UWSA members-at-large selected by the Appointments Committee, to conduct research, consult with members, and prepare a mandate for the negotiating team. Our negotiating team will include one of the UWSA presidents plus members selected by and from the Compensation Strategy Working Group.

Since the new process isn’t formally in place yet, the UWSA operations team and Board struck an interim working group and negotiation team for 2026, and much preparation has occurred in tandem with the MoA revisions. Should ratification not succeed, the Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC) will reconvene with revised committee membership as needed.

Why aren’t we getting merit back?

Many universities and other large workplaces are moving away from merit‑based increases because these systems are vulnerable to bias, lack transparency, and often don’t work the way people expect. At UW, the previous merit formula created significant inequities: Staff above job value rarely saw meaningful increases, cost‑of‑living adjustments were difficult to apply fairly, and the process depended on opaque salary pools that varied widely across campus.

Under the revised MoA, eligible staff will receive an across-the-board increase each year, and the equity adjustment will help people progress towards job value—similar to what the merit system was originally designed to do.

The new MoA also gives us space to negotiate additional increases via the “Flexible Increase Pool,” which can be used to address various factors in any given settlement. We can’t re-introduce performance-based rewards this year, as there isn’t a performance review system currently in place. But strong performance deserves recognition, and we’re exploring options that are fair, transparent, and workable for all staff. As the Strategic Talent and Performance Development Framework rolls out, we will negotiate with the University to establish whether and how components of that connect to compensation. We also want to ensure that any performance-based increase mechanisms have broad support among our members.

The Equity Pool is used to increase base salaries for staff who are below job value. The formulas outlined in the MoA are designed to address internal salary inequities and help staff progress closer to job value over time, and will be calculated as follows only for staff with base salaries below job value in a given year:

1. Calculate the equity weight: This is the proportion by which the base salary is below job value.
   
   Equity Weight = (April 30 Job Value – April 30 Base Salary) / April 30 Job Value)
2. Calculate an individual equity adjustment: This is the amount that will be added to the April 30 base salary. It will depend on the total funds negotiated for the equity pool each year. This formula calculates a salary adjustment based on the calculated equity weights for all eligible staff.
   
   Individual Equity Adjustment = (Individual Equity Weight / Sum of All Positive Equity Weights) x Total Equity Pool

For example, staff at 85% of job value, regardless of USG, will have the same calculated equity weight and thus will receive the same proportion of that year’s equity pool. Since equity adjustments address how far someone is below job value, staff with the same proportional gap (i.e., same compa-ratio) will receive the same adjustment, even if their USGs and/or salaries differ.

Both the equity adjustment and the across-the-board (ATB) increase will be applied separately (additively) to the April 30 base salaries. Where the ATB increase is uniform for all eligible staff, the equity adjustments will be larger for those further below job value because the goal is to correct the internal salary inequity, not to deliver equal or percentage‑based raises.

Staff whose salary is at or above job value are not eligible for equity adjustments. In this context, “equity” refers specifically to internal salary equity relative to job value, and does not include issues such as gender‑based pay discrimination or other systemic equity concerns, which the University has separate legal obligations to address.

How is the MoA different from a collective agreement? 

A collective agreement is more comprehensive than our Memorandum of Agreement. It covers detailed rules about wages, vacation, benefits, job security, and other working conditions. 

For staff at UW, those details are covered in policy, not a collective agreement, though we still functionally negotiate many of them by developing and approving class S and FS policies through the Staff Relations Committee.

Our MoA covers the structure of our relationship with UW—how we negotiate compensation, how issues are resolved, and how staff representation works—but not the details of staff working conditions. Unlike a collective agreement, this structure gives us the ability and flexibility to address issues at any time, not just during comprehensive bargaining.

Does this MoA make us more like a union?

In some ways, yes. The updated MoA gives us a formal negotiation process for compensation and access to mediation or binding arbitration if we can’t reach agreement—tools that are common in union environments. It also strengthens our role as the official representative of staff.

At the same time, staff working conditions at UW remain set through policy, not a collective agreement, and we continue to shape those policies through the Staff Relations Committee. The MoA modernizes our structure without changing the fundamental model we work within.