2025–26 Memorandum of Agreement Revisions

What's happening

We're updating ourÌýMemorandum of Agreement with the University this year, with a focus onÌýhow 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, weÌýcreated 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 ourÌýBoard of Directors about what issues to pursue, and surveyed members to prioritize these ideas.
  • We startedÌýdiscussions about the processÌýwith UW: Staff Relations Committee struck a joint working group,Ìýand we have agreement on updating the Agreement by spring 2026, with aÌýfocus on the process for staff compensation agreements,Ìýand who we represent and how staff are defined across the MoA and policy.
  • We presentedÌýand 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 happens next

We're aiming to have a draft ready for members to review and ratify no later thanÌýFebruary 2026, with approval by the appropriate University body shortly thereafter.

What is the Memorandum of Agreement?

The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlines the formal relationship between the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Staff Association (UWSA) and the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ (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 establishesÌýa staff voiceÌýin things like salary and policies.
  • It gives membersÌýthe right to get supportÌýfrom the UWSA in discipline cases.
  • It providesÌýrelease timeÌýso the president and directors can do UWSA work.
  • It protects the security andÌýprivacy of ourÌýinformation.

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.ÌýThe MoA is how we decide terms of employment but not what those terms actually are.Ìý

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.ÌýOur 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'tÌýnecessarily have to do that themselves.Ìý