Carleton University Academic Staff Association

What Carleton University Academic Staff Association does

Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) is a certified trade union operating under the Ontario Labour Relations Act since 1975, making it Ontario's oldest academic staff union. The organization represents over 900 full-time faculty and professional librarians at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, providing collective bargaining representation, grievance and arbitration services, salary and benefits negotiation, tenure and promotion guidance, and academic freedom protection. CUASA operates as a non-profit member-driven association funded through mandatory union dues deducted from member salaries, with membership participation in democratic processes (voting, governance) being optional but the dues obligation being statutory.

CUASA is governed through a democratic structure comprising a Council, Steering Committee, Executive, and standing committees, and delivers services through a small staff of six named professionals led by Executive Director Jaye Horton, including two Grievance & Arbitration Officers, an Equity & Member Services Officer, a Member Services and Communications Officer, and an Office Manager. The organization negotiates a comprehensive collective agreement that includes negotiated salary scales with Career Development Increments, health and dental benefits via Canada Life, pension and long-term disability coverage, parental leave at 95% salary for up to 52 weeks, sabbatical entitlements, professional expense reimbursement of $2,200 annually, and a laptop allowance of $2,000 for new hires. CUASA is a member institution of CAUT (national, 70,000 members), OCUFA (provincial), OFL (representing over one million Ontario workers), and the Ottawa District Labour Council, and maintains cross-union links with CUPE 2424 and CUPE 4600 at Carleton University.

The association communicates with members through its website (cuasa.ca), a regular newsletter called The Communiqué (Volume 48 ongoing), targeted Grievance Advisories, Know Your Rights resources, and an active social media presence on X, Bluesky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Physical offices at 2003 Dunton Tower, Carleton University are primarily closed, with services delivered virtually Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, and in-person services available by appointment only. CUASA holds no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no external investor or private equity ownership, operating purely as a member-controlled labour organization.

Name

Carleton University Academic Staff Association

Legal name

Carleton University Academic Staff Association

Website

https://cuasa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CUASA is a certified trade union representing 900+ full-time faculty and professional librarians at Carleton University in Ottawa, funded by mandatory dues and providing collective bargaining, grievance representation, and member services since 1975.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Dues: CUASA is funded through mandatory union dues paid by represented full-time faculty and professional librarians at Carleton University. Members are required by law to pay union dues once hired, with membership (including participation in democratic processes) being optional.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CUASA is a certified trade union under the Ontario Labour Relations Act that represents over 900 full-time faculty and professional librarians at Carleton University. It negotiates collective agreements covering salaries, benefits, and working conditions, and provides grievance representation, arbitration support, advising on tenure and promotion, and member perks. Membership is automatic for represented employees, who pay mandatory union dues determined through collective bargaining.

Product overview

Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) is a trade union organization that provides services to its members rather than a technology product company. The organization's services include collective bargaining representation, member advising and grievance representation, arbitration and court decision resources, member perks, housing listings, salary and benefits information, and a newsletter called The Communiqué. The association also provides career information resources including tenure, confirmation, promotion guidance, salary and benefits details, leaves and sabbaticals information, and retirement resources. CUASA is certified under the Ontario Labour Relations Act and represents over 900 full-time faculty and professional librarians at Carleton University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUASA membership automatically includes membership in CAUT. Founded in 1951, CAUT is the national voice for academic staff representing 70,000 teachers, librarians, researchers, and other academic professionals at 123 universities and colleges across Canada. CAUT membership provides discounted insurance rates, health coverage, and a subscription to the CAUT Bulletin.
• Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCUFA is a provincial partner organization representing academic staff at Ontario universities. CUASA is affiliated with OCUFA as part of the broader Ontario academic staff union ecosystem.
• CUPE Local 2424 (CU Non-Academic Staff)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an external link partner on CUASA's website. CUPE 2424 represents non-academic staff at Carleton University. The relationship is a cross-union solidarity and information-sharing link.
• CUPE Local 4600 (CU Contract Academics & TAs)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an external link partner on CUASA's website. CUPE 4600 represents contract academics and teaching assistants at Carleton University. The relationship is a cross-union solidarity and information-sharing link.
• Ottawa District Labour Council (ODLC)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an external link partner. The ODLC is a central labour body coordinating union activities in the Ottawa region, providing solidarity and collective action support.
• Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an external link partner. The OFL is the central labour federation in Ontario, representing over one million workers. CUASA's affiliation provides access to provincial labour movement resources and advocacy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• CUPE Local 4600 (Carleton University Contract Academics & TAs): Represents contract academics and teaching assistants at Carleton University. Operates within the same institution and labor movement ecosystem as CUASA, covering a complementary but distinct bargaining unit of academic workers.
• CUPE Local 2424 (Carleton University Non-Academic Staff): Represents non-academic staff at Carleton University. Share the same employer and labor council affiliations (ODLC) as CUASA, providing organizational comparability in a sister-union role.

Direct peers

• McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT): Faculty association at McGill University representing academic staff. Functions as a peer faculty association with similar collective bargaining and advocacy services, though operating under Quebec labor law rather than Ontario's.
• York University Faculty Association (YUFA): Ontario-certified faculty association at York University. Directly comparable to CUASA in scale, jurisdiction (Ontario Labour Relations Act), and operational structure as a trade union for academic staff.
• University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA): Certified trade union representing faculty and librarians at the University of Toronto. Operates the same business model (collective bargaining, grievance representation, member services) for a much larger Ontario academic staff bargaining unit.
• Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA): Provincial federation of academic staff unions at Ontario universities. CUASA is a direct member and OCUFA represents the collective bargaining and policy interests of the same constituency of Ontario academic staff that CUASA serves locally.
• University of British Columbia Faculty Association (UBCFA): Represents faculty at UBC with a comparable mandate for collective bargaining, grievance handling, and academic freedom advocacy. Same business model and member services structure as CUASA at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of University Professors (AAUP): U.S. national organization advancing academic freedom, shared governance, and faculty representation. Comparable mission and core functions (advocacy, grievance support, collective bargaining where applicable) to CUASA but operating across a much larger U.S. membership.
• Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT): National umbrella for 70,000 academic staff across 123 Canadian universities and colleges. CUASA members automatically receive CAUT membership, making CAUT the national counterpart operating at a broader scale in the same academic labor representation space.
• Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL): Central labour federation in Ontario representing over one million workers. CUASA is affiliated with OFL, providing solidarity and advocacy support; OFL operates as a broader umbrella that encompasses CUASA's labor movement participation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cuasa
• Facebookfacebook.com/cuasaonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cuasa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Carleton University Academic Staff Association