Kadlec Nurses,

After months of negotiations, data review, member outreach, and continued advocacy, WSNA and Kadlec have reached an agreement on implementation of the new Anniversary Year step progression system.

This resolves one of the most complicated implementation issues arising from our newly ratified contract.

For more than two decades, WSNA nurses at Kadlec have sought to replace the hours-based step progression system with an anniversary-based system. We achieved that change in our new contract, but as we began implementation, it became clear that simply switching systems could cause some nurses, particularly part-time nurses, to lose substantial progress they had already accumulated toward their next step.

We were not willing to ignore that impact.

That is why the parties delayed implementation and continued negotiating over how to make the transition as fair and equitable as possible.

Where We Landed

Kadlec and WSNA reviewed the records of all WSNA-represented nurses and developed an implementation framework based on each nurse’s 2026 advancement history, position on the wage scale, and Bargaining Unit Seniority Date (BUSD).

Under the agreement:

Nurses who have already received a step advancement in 2026 will keep that advancement and will receive their next step advancement 12 months after their most recent advancement date. Approximately 520 nurses currently fall into this category.

Nurses who are already at the top of the wage scale will not receive an additional step advancement because there is no higher contractual step. Approximately 26 nurses fall into this category.

Nurses who have not already advanced in 2026 and have a BUSD between May 5 and December 31 will be eligible for a 2026 step advancement. Approximately 337 nurses currently fall into this category.

For this group:

• Nurses with later 2026 BUSDs will advance on their applicable BUSD.
• Nurses whose BUSD has already passed between May 5 and August 31 will receive a one-time implementation adjustment rather than being required to wait until 2027.
• Future step progression will then occur 12 months after the applicable advancement date.

This was an important expansion from Kadlec’s earlier proposals and ensures that hundreds of nurses who could otherwise have fallen into the transition gap will receive an advancement in 2026.

A Remaining Group Will Not Receive a 2026 Step

We also want to be transparent about where the compromise landed.

Approximately 71 nurses currently fall into a group that will not receive a step advancement in 2026 under the transition agreement. This includes nurses whose BUSD occurred before May 5 and who did not independently accumulate the hours necessary for an hours-based advancement before implementation, and were also highly unlikely to accumulate the hours necessary for an hours-based step advancement before the end of calendar year 2026. 

Those nurses will receive their next advancement on their 2027 BUSD, all of which will receive it during the first 4 months of the calendar year.

That number may decrease as additional nurses reach the hours necessary to qualify for an advancement under the existing hours-based system before implementation.

This was not an easy part of the agreement. Throughout these negotiations, WSNA consistently advocated for minimizing the number of nurses negatively affected by the conversion. Ultimately, reaching an implementation agreement required compromise, but the final framework protects substantially more nurses than Kadlec’s earlier proposals.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about the transition year.

Once the transition is complete, eligible full-time and part-time nurses will no longer have to accumulate 1,872 credited hours to earn each step advancement.

Instead, progression will occur annually based on the advancement date established through this transition and the new contractual system.

That is especially meaningful for part-time nurses, who could previously take substantially longer than a calendar year to accumulate enough hours for advancement.

The result is a more predictable system that better recognizes continued service and allows nurses to know when their next contractual advancement should occur.

Your Advocacy Made a Difference

We also want to thank the nurses who contacted us, shared their individual circumstances, reviewed their hours and anniversary dates, volunteered to record videos, and were willing to speak directly about how the proposed transition would affect them.

Those stories mattered.

The numbers told us how many nurses were affected. Your stories explained what those numbers meant: nurses potentially waiting extended periods between wage advancements because of the mechanics of changing systems.

The final agreement is substantially broader than where Kadlec’s proposals began, and member engagement helped us continue pushing for a better solution.

What Happens Next?

Kadlec is confirming the time HR and Payroll need to program and process the adjustments. Implementation may not occur immediately on the originally anticipated September payroll date, but the parties have agreed upon the framework and Kadlec will work to implement the adjustments as quickly as possible.

WSNA will continue reviewing implementation to ensure nurses are placed correctly and that the agreed-upon advancement dates are applied appropriately.

Please review your pay and step placement carefully when implementation occurs.

If you believe your advancement does not match the agreement, or you have questions about which category applies to you, please contact WSNA so we can review your individual circumstances.

After more than 20 years of advocating for anniversary-based step progression at Kadlec, we are finally moving away from the hours-based system.

Thank you to everyone who stayed engaged, asked questions, shared your story, and helped us get this implementation across the finish line.

In solidarity,

Your AY Negotiation Team