Organize UWaterloo

The Committee to Organize UWaterloo (aka OrganizeUW or OUW) is a grassroots campaign to unionize the academic workers at the University of Waterloo (UW). It was started in March 2020 by a group of graduate students hoping to make Waterloo a better place to work, and the movement has been growing ever since!

You are eligible to sign a union card if you are working as a:

• Teaching Assistant (TA)
• Research Assistant (RA)
• In another, similar role ( see FAQ here)

If you are a Sessional/Contract/Adjunct Instructor, click here for information about the recently-formed Sessionals’ union.

OrganizeUW is proudly supported by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. With over 715,000 members nation-wide, CUPE is Canada's largest union and a leader in the post-secondary education sector in Ontario and across Canada.

The primary aim of the organizing committee is:

To build an inclusive OrganizeUW where human rights are built into everything we do, including in how we operate our current drive and what we plan for our future union local. By focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion we hope to make our spaces open, diverse, fair, equitable, representative, and ultimately incompatible with white supremacy and patriarchy. Only by ensuring full, meaningful, and equitable chances for everyone to participate in our grassroots group can we hope to build a successful union movement that will truly improve the lives of everyone at UW.

The principles and goals for this campaign have been outlined by the OUW Committee for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and can be found in full here.