The UWSA represents most staff at the University of Waterloo.
We are permanent and contract, full-time and part-time staff across the University, from academic departments, libraries, and research institutions, to food services, athletics, and campus housing.
Our members work at all of the University's campuses—Waterloo, Cambridge, Kitchener, and Stratford—and remotely. We work in associated organizations like the Faculty Association, GSA, and WUSA.
We are new workers and mid-level managers, and we're in every salary range. Our members have college diplomas, specialized training, and doctorates. We belong to the Baby Boom generation and Generation Z; we are Generation X and Millennials.
Our members counsel and advise students, organize public events, schedule classes, manage grants and fundraise, train faculty and other staff, deliver mail, keep our information infrastructure running, make sure we get paid, run research programs and supervise labs, design online classes, and so much more.
We are united by a commitment to making the University a great place to work, learn, and live.
There's power in large numbers of staff working together.
The UWSA represents all UW staff assigned a USG grade, except some senior positions.* As of October 2022 all new eligible employees are members under our Memorandum of Agreement with UW. Staff hired before October 2022 must opt in.
Two-thirds of eligible staff are dues-paying members of the UWSA.
By the numbers
We have more than 2,000 members as of November 1, 2024.
Nearly 1/5 of our members are on temporary contracts.
300 members are in their first year at Waterloo. 14% have been here longer than 20 years.
Member concerns
Roughly 3/4 of members reported being concerned about stress/anxiety in our latest member survey (April 2024).
71% of members reported being concerned about their workload.
One quarter of survey respondents reported concerns about bullying at work.
*Sometimes it's easier to explain who we don't represent: CUPE Local 793 represents some workers in Food Services and Plant Operations (we represent others), and OPSEU represents members of the Special Constable Service. Regular faculty are represented by the Faculty Association. Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Professors do not currently have representation. We don't represent associate vice-presidents, associate provosts, and other very senior roles. See our Memorandum of Agreement with UW for a formal description of our membership.