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, with some exceptions. As of late 2022, all new eligible employees pay dues under our Memorandum of Agreement with UW and can access most of our services. 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 nearly 2,000 members as of April 2026.
Nearly 1/5 of our members are on temporary contracts.
14% of members have worked at Waterloo for more than 20 years. 7% are in their first year at Waterloo.
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.