Our Role in Decision Making
The University makes extensive use of special committees in decision-making.
Since 1975 the UWSA has increasingly earned its place and succeeded in securing staff membership on virtually all of these important UW committees. The UWSA executive either works directly on these committees or appoints a staff member to act on their behalf. If you want to see a complete description of what each committee does or who is currently representing you on University Committees and Staff Association committees, go to the Committee Information folder in Sharepoint.
***Please fill out and submit the application for committee membership if there has been a call for nominations for a UW or UWSA committee on which you are interested in serving.
UW Committees Requiring UWSA Executive Membership
Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation
This is the committee that deliberates on the yearly compensation package. Conclusions reached here are carried forward to the Provost for approval.
Staff Relations Committee
The work done in this committee is of a sensitive nature. The SA brings forward staff problems to be considered and recommends changes to existing University Policies. Any issue on campus that affects staff may be discussed here and remedies suggested. Decisions are generally based on unanimous agreements although some issues are voted upon. It was through discussions at these two committees that the SA was successful in negotiating free tuition for staff who wished to take courses at the University.
UW Committees Requiring UWSA Member Representatives
Sub-Committee on Staff Training & Development
This committee recommends appropriate training and development opportunities for UW staff. They will approve all new programming from external vendors and encourage departments/schools to review existing staff training & development activities as well as future opportunities.
Dispute Resolution Pool and Policy 36
This Policy provides a confidential, effective and fair way to resolve problems, disputes, misunderstandings and disagreements concerning management action or inaction directly affecting a staff member. Complaints concerning the failure to apply or the misapplication of a University policy, procedure or guideline may include matters such as abuse of supervisory authority, demotion, working conditions, discipline and discharge.
Pension and Benefits Committee
Monitors and evaluates the performance of the pension and benefits plan. The Committee recommends and initiates changes and improvements to the plan as required.
Joint Health and Safety Committee
This is an advisory group to the President on safety matters regarding safe living and working conditions on campus. Worker members perform regular building inspections.
Employee Assistance Program
The program provides assistance to both staff and faculty members who are in distress due to family problems, addiction, or other stressful situations. The Committee responsible for maintaining this program also plans and hosts extremely helpful seminars on communication, time management, stress management, dealing with teens, and other pertinent topics.
President’s Advisory Committee on Traffic and Parking
It is recognized that traffic and parking of vehicles affects most users of the campus. In order to obtain user views on existing and future traffic and parking policies, an Advisory Committee is established to permit a regularized basis for review of the policies and procedures associated with vehicle and pedestrian traffic and parking.
Traffic & Parking Appeal Board
It is recognized that enforcement of traffic and parking of vehicles on campus is necessary to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. The Traffic and Parking Appeal Committee was established to provide a separate entity from parking staff to review all written appeals of citation issued on campus. Citations are issued to vehicles that are parked in contravention of the University of Waterloo Traffic and Parking Regulations.
Standing Committees of the Staff Association
For details on committee terms of office, membership and responsibilities, see each committee’s Terms of Reference in SharePoint
Nominating Committee
The purpose of the University of Waterloo Staff Association Nominating Committee is to nominate and/or appoint regular full-time and regular part-time Staff Association members as representatives to:
• University or UWSA Standing Committees
• University or UWSA Ad Hoc Committees requiring staff representatives
Some committee memberships are governed by University policy or UWSA policy and therefore operate outside the Nominating Committee’s Terms of Reference. As well, from time to time some ad hoc committees may be staffed by individuals not selected through this committee, but by the President of the UWSA in consultation with current Executive members.
Applications to the Staff Enhancement Grant are also reviewed by the Nominating Committee. See the Terms of Reference for the SEG in Sharepoint in the Awards and Grants area.
Finance Review Committee
The purpose of the Finance Review Committee is to examine the financial records as required by By-Law 7 and to provide a status report to the UWSA Executive Committee for release to the general membership.
Communication & Membership Committee
The Communications & Membership Committee is a communications vehicle with the purpose of enhancing awareness throughout the University community of the activities sponsored by University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) and benefits of membership for University Support Staff. The Communications & Membership Committee actively encourages membership in the University of Waterloo Staff Association.
Members’ Advisory Committee
The Committee, working with the UWSA Executive Manager, will provide institutional guidance and support for UWSA members navigating University of Waterloo policies and procedures, both formally and informally, and will provide recommendations to the Executive Committee.
Fundraising & Social Committee
The Committee shall raise funds for the association through organizing of social and recreational events for the enjoyment of staff members.
Pension, Benefits & Compensation sub-committee
The purpose of the Pension & Benefits & Staff Compensation Sub-Committee is to monitor the UW Pension and Benefit Package and the UW Compensation Package (which includes salary, overtime and vacation entitlements) relative to perceived reasonableness and acceptability by staff and to make alternative recommendations to the UWSA Executive. The UWSA Executive will examine these recommendations and forward to the UW Pension & Benefits Committee or the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation, as appropriate, those proposals which are well-supported and appear to have merit.
Note: This committee is a sub-committee of the UW Staff Association and is not to be confused with the UW Pension & Benefits Committee.
Our membership in COUSA
The UWSA is a member of the Confederation of Ontario University Staff Associations & Unions (COUSA). Their mandate is to:
- Provide a mechanism for Ontario university non-academic staff organizations to share information on activities or trends which can affect the employment of their members;
- Provide workshops for member organizations on important topical issues, such as labour law reform, pay equity, benefits costing, lobbying strategies, and negotiating skills;
- Lobby government in a unified way and advocate on behalf of Ontario staff to government and the public
- Provide a forum whereby member organizations may act collectively on a provincial basis.
Founded in 1974, the Confederation is an umbrella group of unionized and non-unionized staff organizations at Ontario universities. The membership includes administrative, clerical, professional and technical occupational groups. (From the COUSA website)
Member(s) of the UWSA Executive Committee attend the COUSA conferences. You can view their reports in Sharepoint in the COUSA area.
Mandate
Our Role in Decision Making
The University makes extensive use of special committees in decision-making.
Since 1975 the UWSA has increasingly earned its place and succeeded in securing staff membership on virtually all of these important UW committees. The UWSA executive either works directly on these committees or appoints a staff member to act on their behalf. If you want to see a complete description of what each committee does or who is currently representing you on University Committees and Staff Association committees, go to the Committee Information folder in Sharepoint.
***Please fill out and submit the application for committee membership if there has been a call for nominations for a UW or UWSA committee on which you are interested in serving.
UW Committees Requiring UWSA Executive Membership
Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation
This is the committee that deliberates on the yearly compensation package. Conclusions reached here are carried forward to the Provost for approval.
Staff Relations Committee
The work done in this committee is of a sensitive nature. The SA brings forward staff problems to be considered and recommends changes to existing University Policies. Any issue on campus that affects staff may be discussed here and remedies suggested. Decisions are generally based on unanimous agreements although some issues are voted upon. It was through discussions at these two committees that the SA was successful in negotiating free tuition for staff who wished to take courses at the University.
UW Committees Requiring UWSA Member Representatives
Sub-Committee on Staff Training & Development
This committee recommends appropriate training and development opportunities for UW staff. They will approve all new programming from external vendors and encourage departments/schools to review existing staff training & development activities as well as future opportunities.
Dispute Resolution Pool and Policy 36
This Policy provides a confidential, effective and fair way to resolve problems, disputes, misunderstandings and disagreements concerning management action or inaction directly affecting a staff member. Complaints concerning the failure to apply or the misapplication of a University policy, procedure or guideline may include matters such as abuse of supervisory authority, demotion, working conditions, discipline and discharge.
Pension and Benefits Committee
Monitors and evaluates the performance of the pension and benefits plan. The Committee recommends and initiates changes and improvements to the plan as required.
Joint Health and Safety Committee
This is an advisory group to the President on safety matters regarding safe living and working conditions on campus. Worker members perform regular building inspections.
Employee Assistance Program
The program provides assistance to both staff and faculty members who are in distress due to family problems, addiction, or other stressful situations. The Committee responsible for maintaining this program also plans and hosts extremely helpful seminars on communication, time management, stress management, dealing with teens, and other pertinent topics.
President’s Advisory Committee on Traffic and Parking
It is recognized that traffic and parking of vehicles affects most users of the campus. In order to obtain user views on existing and future traffic and parking policies, an Advisory Committee is established to permit a regularized basis for review of the policies and procedures associated with vehicle and pedestrian traffic and parking.
Traffic & Parking Appeal Board
It is recognized that enforcement of traffic and parking of vehicles on campus is necessary to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. The Traffic and Parking Appeal Committee was established to provide a separate entity from parking staff to review all written appeals of citation issued on campus. Citations are issued to vehicles that are parked in contravention of the University of Waterloo Traffic and Parking Regulations.
Standing Committees of the Staff Association
For details on committee terms of office, membership and responsibilities, see each committee’s Terms of Reference in SharePoint
Nominating Committee
The purpose of the University of Waterloo Staff Association Nominating Committee is to nominate and/or appoint regular full-time and regular part-time Staff Association members as representatives to:
• University or UWSA Standing Committees
• University or UWSA Ad Hoc Committees requiring staff representatives
Some committee memberships are governed by University policy or UWSA policy and therefore operate outside the Nominating Committee’s Terms of Reference. As well, from time to time some ad hoc committees may be staffed by individuals not selected through this committee, but by the President of the UWSA in consultation with current Executive members.
Applications to the Staff Enhancement Grant are also reviewed by the Nominating Committee. See the Terms of Reference for the SEG in Sharepoint in the Awards and Grants area.
Finance Review Committee
The purpose of the Finance Review Committee is to examine the financial records as required by By-Law 7 and to provide a status report to the UWSA Executive Committee for release to the general membership.
Communication & Membership Committee
The Communications & Membership Committee is a communications vehicle with the purpose of enhancing awareness throughout the University community of the activities sponsored by University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) and benefits of membership for University Support Staff. The Communications & Membership Committee actively encourages membership in the University of Waterloo Staff Association.
Members’ Advisory Committee
The Committee, working with the UWSA Executive Manager, will provide institutional guidance and support for UWSA members navigating University of Waterloo policies and procedures, both formally and informally, and will provide recommendations to the Executive Committee.
Fundraising & Social Committee
The Committee shall raise funds for the association through organizing of social and recreational events for the enjoyment of staff members.
Pension, Benefits & Compensation sub-committee
The purpose of the Pension & Benefits & Staff Compensation Sub-Committee is to monitor the UW Pension and Benefit Package and the UW Compensation Package (which includes salary, overtime and vacation entitlements) relative to perceived reasonableness and acceptability by staff and to make alternative recommendations to the UWSA Executive. The UWSA Executive will examine these recommendations and forward to the UW Pension & Benefits Committee or the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation, as appropriate, those proposals which are well-supported and appear to have merit.
Note: This committee is a sub-committee of the UW Staff Association and is not to be confused with the UW Pension & Benefits Committee.
Our membership in COUSA
The UWSA is a member of the Confederation of Ontario University Staff Associations & Unions (COUSA). Their mandate is to:
Founded in 1974, the Confederation is an umbrella group of unionized and non-unionized staff organizations at Ontario universities. The membership includes administrative, clerical, professional and technical occupational groups. (From the COUSA website)
Member(s) of the UWSA Executive Committee attend the COUSA conferences. You can view their reports in Sharepoint in the COUSA area.