UWOSA Today
As an independent union, we represent approximately 900 administrative and technical staff at Western University. We have members in every Faculty and Service unit including downtown continuing education, research facilities off campus and teaching hospitals in and around London, ON. Our members fulfill clerical and administrative roles; work as technicians in teaching and research laboratories, libraries, computing facilities, and machine shop; staff residences and retail services; and work as drivers and storekeepers. Western is dependent on UWOSA members and could not adequately operate without us.
Most unions on campus are called a “local union”. This means that they are local to this geographical area, but belong to a larger union, usually a provincial or federal union. CUPE and UWOFA are good examples. Our union is an independent union, which means that we are not part of a larger union. We do work with our brother and sister unions on campus as well as have cooperative relationships with unions that represent staff at other Ontario Universities. Some of these unions are independent like UWOSA, but most are affiliates of very large unions.
Unity Group on Campus
UWOSA is a member of the Unity Group. The Unity Group was organized by UWOSA to collaborate with our brother and sister Unions on campus to work together to advance common labor related goals at Western. Through Unity Group, we have found solidarity, strength, and, well, unity, which comes into play, especially when each of our respective unions go through the negotiations process. We stand with one another when we each bargain, to hand out information flyers, to walk the picket lines, to bring food to picketers, to let Western’s Administration know that the Unions on this campus stand with one another.
The Unity Group is made up of the following campus unions:
CUPE 2361 (Facilities Management)
CUPE 2692 (Food Service)
IUOE 772 (Operating Engineers)
OPSEU Local 102 (Campus Police)
PSAC 610 (Graduate Teaching Assistants and Postdoctoral Researchers)
SOGS (Society of Graduate Students)
UWOFA (Faculty Association)
If you have any questions about the Unity Group, please send them to info@uwosa.ca.
Benefits of Union Dues?
- Confidential professional advice from three officers (President, Vice-President, and Chief Steward) who do extensive work on your behalf to uphold your individual and collective rights under the collective agreement.
- Confidential professional advice if you are seeking support or have a workplace concern (which may or may not involve the grievance process).
- Fair representation at (disciplinary meetings, return to work meetings, position elimination) meetings.
- Legal representation at grievance hearings and arbitration.
- Committee members (volunteers from our union) who work to govern our union like the Finance Committee, Membership/Newsletter & Social Committee, or Constitution & Bylaws Committee.
- Stewards Training.
- Strike fund.
- Our Union dues were set at certification in 1997 at 1.25% and after 20 years has moved to 1.7% as of May 2017.
