The UW–UWSA Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlines how the University and the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) collaborate on issues and policies that affect University Support Group (USG) staff. Through the MoA, the UWSA represents all USG staff, with some exceptions.
In November, we shared that work was underway to update the MoA and we committed to keeping staff informed throughout the process, providing updates on our progress and outlining what’s next.
The working group has been meeting weekly since November and is making steady progress toward key changes, including establishing a more structured and formal salary negotiation process and reviewing the scope of UWSA membership.
We want to reassure staff that the recent change in the Chief Human Resources Officer role has not affected the progress of this work. Both parties remain committed to the update process, and a draft will be shared with staff when it is ready in the coming weeks.
UWSA will host information sessions for all USG staff, followed by a ratification vote for UWSA members. If you are not yet a member, you can join the UWSA online. Once the new MoA is ratified by UWSA members, it will proceed to University approval. At that point, we’ll begin work toward a 2026 salary settlement while the MoA approval process continues.
To ensure we can finalize a new agreement with meaningful improvements in priority areas in the near term, some MoA elements that were discussed will remain unchanged this year. These items may be revisited in future MoA updates or through established venues, such as the Staff Relations Committee (SRC). As always, UWSA is committed to ongoing consultations and keeping members informed as our work continues.
If you have questions about the MoA process, you can email communications@uwaterloo.ca or uwsa@uwaterloo.ca.