2025–26 Memorandum of Agreement Revisions

What's happening

We're updating our Memorandum of Agreement with the University this year, with a focus on how staff compensation is determined, moving to a more structured approach that will give us an even stronger voice in the process.

What's happened so far

  • 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.

What's changing

We've jointly committed to and announced that we'll be moving to a more structured and formal negotiation process for staff compensation. This would replace the current process where the Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC) makes recommendations to the Provost about salary changes. There are a number of other exciting changes that we can't announce quite yet, but that will greatly enhance our ability to advocate for and protect staff interests.

What happens next

We're aiming to have a new version of the MoA ready for members to review and ratify in March 2026, with approval by the University shortly thereafter. Assuming the vote opens in March, the voter list will be based on February dues, meaning all staff who have dues on their February paycheque. If you are not yet a member, you can join online.

We'll explain all the changes and what they mean for staff, and you'll get a chance to attend an information session and ask questions before the ratification vote. 

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.

Learn more

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. The latest version of the MoA added automatic dues for new staff + association-level grievances.

The 2022 Agreement

The MoA was last updated in 2022. That version formally documented release time for presidents/directors, funding for the president's role, members' right to participate, and more. It also introduced two key elements:

  • Automatic dues for employees we represent, switching from an opt-in model (with an exemption for staff hired before October 2022).
  • The ability for the association to bring forward grievances on behalf of staff, so staff don't necessarily have to do that themselves.