Posts for Staff

UWSA 101: What it’s like to be a UWSA director or president

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 by Laura McDonald
what it's like to run the UWSA

This is part three of our “UWSA 101” series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate in our upcoming elections!

In the last post, we talked about the difference between the work of the Board and the work of the presidents and Operations Team. Now we’ll hear directly from current directors and presidents about what it’s like to serve in these roles!

President of the UWSA

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UWSA 101: Governance and Operations

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 by Laura McDonald
Who does what: Governance and Operations

The role of the board vs the work of the Association

This is part three of our “UWSA 101” series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate in our upcoming elections!

uwsa101

UWSA 101: The UWSA By-law

Thursday, August 22, 2024 by Laura McDonald
The UWSA by-law

This is part two of our “UWSA 101”series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate in our upcoming elections!

Last week, we covered our Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Waterloo, which gives us official status as your representative (catch up here if you missed it).

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UWSA 101: Our Relationship with UW

Thursday, August 15, 2024 by Laura McDonald
Our relationship with the university

Welcome to our “UWSA 101” series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate in our upcoming elections!

Let’s start at the beginning:

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Michael Herz has passed away

Tuesday, January 17, 2023 by Agata Antkiewicz, Chair

It is with broken hearts that we let you know that a long-standing member of the UWSA executive and the Board of Directors Michael Herz has passed away on January 14, 2023; he was 59 years old. The news is devastating to his family, friends and colleagues, and also to the Staff Association as a whole.

Where's your happy place?

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 by Dave McDougall

Work here at UWSA continues on behalf of all members, and I am very pleased to report we’ve had some big wins this year! Here’s just a few of them:

parking
Performance Appraisals
Vacation
Memorandum of Agreement

Compassionate communication needed to show the value of staff

Friday, January 28, 2022 by Dave McDougall

Transparent communication is essential in all areas of life, but especially in the workplace. We believe the UW communications about working remotely and the return to campus plan last week showed a lack of clarity and compassion for employees. 

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

Friday, January 7, 2022 by

Good riddance to 2021, right? Just when we thought we could put the pandemic behind us, it came roaring back to disrupt our time with friends and family over the holiday break. Although 2021 may not have been everything you hoped, this pandemic has allowed for some myth-busting and self-growth. It is clearer than ever that complete separation of the personal from the professional is not possible. In 2022, let’s welcome and honor whole human beings working at UWaterloo, and help create a work environment where people are supported to engage their hearts and minds.

Construction - a great stress reliever!

Wednesday, July 28, 2021 by

Dear UWSA members,

I recently took a week off to recharge. When I wasn’t gardening, beekeeping, canoeing, or birdwatching, I was building a garden shed. The building project really helped me get out of my head. As the week passed and the shed took shape, I gained scratches, bruises, and achy muscles from the task. I felt the tension fade into the background, and I enjoyed the sun and the heat and the work. It was a great week! But things were still percolating in the back of my mind.

Time to Put a Bow on Fall 2020

Wednesday, December 16, 2020 by

Over the past weeks, your UWSA has been actively working with UW on behalf of our members in several areas: an updated performance appraisal process for 2020, safety procedures for those working on campus, our compensation agreement (which expires at the end of April), and a revised Memorandum of Agreement. These are important issues for our members, and we’ve been working hard to ensure staff interests are at top of mind for each. I’ve provided a brief update on each of these areas, and I’m happy to hear from anyone who has any questions about this work.

Performance Appraisals
COVID
Memorandum of Agreement
Bill 124

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