Another Wage Equity Victory!

USW LOCAL 7600

Continuing Our Fight for Fair Wages in the Inland Empire

Dear USW Local 7600 Members,

We are proud to announce that USW Local 7600, working alongside our Alliance of Health Care Unions partners and Kaiser Permanente, has successfully finalized another round of wage equity adjustments for eligible bargaining unit classifications in the Inland Empire!

This achievement represents another important milestone in our longstanding fight to close the wage gap between Kaiser Permanente employees in the Inland Empire and their counterparts performing comparable work in Los Angeles and Orange County.

A Historic Victory That Continues to Deliver

For more than 25 years, Kaiser Permanente maintained significant wage disparities between employees in the Inland Empire and those performing comparable work in neighboring communities. That began to change in 2021.

Through our historic National Agreement, we successfully negotiated a commitment from Kaiser Permanente to address these longstanding inequities, securing more than $13 million in additional wage equity funding over two years.

Our first two rounds of wage equity adjustments, implemented in 2022 and 2023, delivered significant increases to classifications furthest behind their Los Angeles and Orange County counterparts.

At the beginning of that process, some classifications were earning as much as 43% less than comparable positions.

By the conclusion of the 2023 adjustments, we had successfully narrowed those disparities so that no classification with an agreed-upon comparator remained more than 5.25% behind its Los Angeles and Orange County counterpart.

That was an extraordinary accomplishment and established an important foundation for our continued progress.

Building on Our Success Through the 2025 National Bargaining Process

The 2025 National Bargaining process presented significant challenges. However, one of our most important accomplishments was once again securing wage increases that would help us continue closing the gap with Los Angeles and Orange County.

Following our previous wage equity adjustments, subsequent bargaining agreements negotiated by other unions resulted in larger across-the-board increases for some comparable classifications in Los Angeles and Orange County, causing certain wage disparities to widen again.

Through our most recent National and Local Agreements, we secured historic victories, including by far the largest wage increases in our Local Union's proud history, which helped narrow those differences.

Combined with this newly finalized round of targeted wage equity adjustments and future negotiated increases, we are continuing to make meaningful progress toward our ultimate goal of full wage parity.

This is precisely why our historic breakthrough in 2021 was so important. We established a process to address wage inequities that continues to deliver results for our members today.

Our Approach: Prioritizing Those Furthest Behind

As with previous rounds, our primary focus remained on addressing the greatest wage disparities between Inland Empire classifications and comparable positions in Los Angeles and Orange County.

However, this round also considered recruitment and retention challenges, particularly in hard-to-fill classifications where wage disparities can make it increasingly difficult to attract and retain qualified employees.

Our joint approach with Kaiser Permanente recognized that competitive wages are essential not only to achieving greater wage equity but also to supporting appropriate staffing levels and ensuring our communities continue receiving quality patient care.

Wage disparity was not the only consideration. Recruitment and retention challenges, along with other relevant workforce factors, were also considered when determining how to prioritize adjustments.

It is important to understand that wage equity is not an across-the-board increase, and not every classification will receive an adjustment.

Some classifications have historically been at or near the wage rates of their Los Angeles and Orange County counterparts. Others have benefited from negotiated across-the-board increases that have already helped narrow those differences.

Consequently, adjustments will vary by classification, and some increases will be smaller than those awarded in previous rounds.

In fact, smaller adjustments in many classifications demonstrate the significant progress we achieved during our first two rounds of wage equity.

Our objective has never been simply to distribute additional increases equally. Our objective is to address longstanding wage inequities, strengthen our ability to recruit and retain qualified employees, and continue moving our members toward fair and competitive wages for comparable work.

Why Did This Round Take Longer?

We recognize that this process took longer than anticipated, and we share our members' frustration with the delays.

Our original goal was to complete the process in time for implementation in July. However, several factors complicated our discussions, including the timing of National Bargaining, the challenges surrounding our labor-management relationships following the strikes, and the need to conduct a more comprehensive review of certain classifications.

This round also presented unique challenges that were not part of our original wage equity discussions in 2021.

These included newly organized classifications in Riverside's Outside Referral Department, other classifications not previously included in our comparisons, and additional reviews of clerical classifications where identifying appropriate comparators required further analysis.

In some instances, we were unable to reach agreement with Kaiser Permanente regarding the appropriate comparisons or proposed adjustments.

Although not every disagreement has been resolved, we remain committed to continuing those discussions and conducting additional reviews where necessary.

Rather than allow those outstanding issues to delay adjustments for other eligible classifications, we made the decision to finalize this round while continuing our efforts to address unresolved concerns.

While we are disappointed that the process took longer than expected, we are extremely pleased with the outcome and the continued progress we have achieved.

We also want to recognize and thank Travis Stein, Alliance Director of Research and Business Strategy, along with our Kaiser Permanente Labor Relations and management partners, for their collaboration, commitment, and work throughout this process.

What's Next?

Kaiser Permanente is currently working through the implementation process and will provide additional information regarding when the new wage rates will take effect and when applicable retroactive payments will be issued.

We will communicate those details to our membership as soon as they become available.

Members will also be able to review the classifications receiving wage equity adjustments and their respective percentage increases through our website.

Our Commitment Continues

We have come a long way since 2021.

What was once considered an accepted regional wage disparity is now being actively addressed through our collective bargaining agreements and continued partnership with Kaiser Permanente.

Beyond narrowing wage disparities, these adjustments also represent an important investment in our workforce, helping address recruitment and retention challenges in classifications where competition for qualified employees remains particularly difficult.

While we have made tremendous progress, our work is not finished.

Our ultimate goal remains full wage parity for comparable classifications between the Inland Empire and Los Angeles and Orange County.

We are proud of what we have accomplished together, grateful for the continued support of our membership, and committed to building on these victories in future negotiations.

This victory is about more than individual wage increases. It represents our continued success in challenging longstanding inequities, strengthening our collective bargaining agreements, and ensuring that the hard work of our members is recognized and valued.

If you have questions regarding wage equity or your classification, please contact a member of your bargaining team or your union representative.

In Solidarity,