Update: FAQ added October 2
From UWSA President Agata Jagielska
As you’ve seen by now, the provost has announced salary adjustments for staff following the removal of the provincial 1% cap on salary increases that limited our 2021–2024 salary settlement. The adjustment includes additional base salary increases and a lump-sum payment. You can review all the details on the Provost Office Staff Salary Adjustment webpage.
This announcement follows months of discussion at the Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC). We recognize that this process took much longer for us than it did for faculty. Your Staff Association representatives on PACSC prioritized fighting for a fair deal for staff over expediency. We sought legal advice before beginning discussions with the University and clarification on the numbers presented throughout as we worked to achieve an adjustment that would adequately reflect the pressure of high inflation and the value that our members provide to the university. I genuinely appreciate your patience and support throughout this process.
This adjustment is a significant improvement over the original settlement under Bill 124, and the provost’s memo to PACSC specifically notes that UWSA’s advocacy efforts resulted in a larger lump sum amount than originally offered. Still, we know we have a lot of work ahead in the discussions for the 2024 salary agreement* to better address salary competitiveness and significant cost-of-living increases. As noted by the provost, there will be space for these and other points to be discussed when UWSA enters these talks with UW Administration. I look forward to a productive and collaborative dialogue between the UWSA and University administration.
I'd like to thank our PACSC representatives for their hard work on this issue. PACSC consists of four staff members and four UW administrators; the staff representatives include the UWSA presidents and an elected director. Please consider running for the board or president this month if you'd like to influence these discussions in the future.
I have received a lot of questions from members following this announcement, and we are working on getting answers to you as soon as we can. [Update October 2: Our Salary Adjustment FAQ is now available.] In the meantime, you can read the FAQ on the Provost’s Office website. If you have questions not answered there, please reach out to me at agata.jagielska@uwaterloo.ca.
Agata Jagielska
President
University of Waterloo Staff Association
*Our current salary agreement (2021–2024) ends April 30, 2024, and discussions are beginning at PACSC now for the next three-year staff compensation agreement.
