Alaska Voters Consider First Referendum Measure

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A $15 minimum wage, sick leave requirements for small businesses and “protecting workers’ constitutional rights” are what supporters of Ballot Measure 1 are asking voters to say “yes” to in November.

Supporters of Measure 1 say the process needs to be accelerated to raise the current $11.73 minimum wage, after voters approved annual inflation adjustments to the minimum wage in 2014 as a way to grow Alaska’s middle class. Those opposed to Measure 1 said they believe wages and benefits should be left between employers and employees, not regulated by the government.

Mark Robokoff, owner of AK Bark, said he supports Measure 1 because he believes it will help small business operators. The proposal would gradually raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027. Measure 1 also includes provisions for sick leave.

“You know, when you look at a large portion of the population in Anchorage that has a lot more money in their pockets, that’s going to make a big difference to a store, small stores like mine,” Robokoff said.

Companies with fewer than 15 employees could, under measure 1, accumulate up to 40 hours per year. Companies with more than 15 employees could accumulate up to 56 hours of sick leave per year.

“It’s fair and decent,” said Robokoff, who employs three people. “They get sick pay like a human being, like a normal human being should. They’ll feel better about their job. They’ll stay longer.”

Patrick FitzGerald, a member of a group of supporters of Measure 1, said COVID has proven to employees the value of having jobs with paid sick leave.

“Sick leave depends on your employer’s agreement, but there’s no guarantee that employees have to be given sick leave,” FitzGerald said. “We really don’t think employees should be required to go to work when they’re sick.”

FitzGerald also said that supporters of the initiative at one point considered proposing a $20-an-hour minimum wage.

“We thought a $15 an hour minimum wage would be something that would grow and help the Alaska economy and workers, as well as allow small businesses to accommodate that growth,” FitzGerald said.

John Weddleton, a small business owner in Anchorage, said he does not support the measure and that businesses should be left alone, letting potential employees make their own decisions about where they work and how much they pay.

“Employees can move to a new company,” Weddleton said. “They can increase their pay, they can upgrade their skills. I mean, it’s a dynamic part of our workforce. We’ve always seen that, and you know, to get involved in that, especially in the details of these sick days, is surprising and it’s going to cause problems.”

Weddleton said he does not plan to vote for the initiative in November and called the sick pay provision “confusing” for employers.

“There are two pages of this legislation that go into the details of this issue, showing how complicated sick leave or paid leave is…so I think for any business, it creates a lot of uncertainty,” Weddleton said.

Weddleton, who is also a former Anchorage Assemblyman, said if Measure 1 passes, he doesn’t see it crippling businesses, though he said it would force landlords to shift costs. Despite his reservations, Weddleton said he expects the measure to pass in November.

“It has a great populist appeal,” Weddleton said.

Measure 1 would prohibit employers from requiring employees to attend meetings about religious or political issues unrelated to work. Proponents of the measure said they were not aware that this would be a problem in the state and that it was seen as an extra precaution given the partisan nature of the policy, Robokoff said.