Site Menu

Anchorage, AK — Today, a groundbreaking campaign for workers’ rights in Alaska turned in more than 41,000 signatures to qualify a ballot measure for the 2024 general election. The Better Jobs for Alaska campaign, which is supported by the Fairness Project, far exceeded the requirement of 26,705 valid signatures and represented every State House district in its signature submission. 

If passed, the ballot measure would raise the state minimum wage gradually to $15 by 2027, ensuring more than 12,000 Alaskans receive a raise, and tie the minimum wage to inflation so low-wage workers are not left behind. It would also guarantee workers the right to accrue paid sick leave and protect workers from retaliation if they opt out of political or religious meetings in the workplace. 

The current minimum wage in Alaska is $11.73 per hour, or about $24,000 a year. Alaskans have a history of increasing the minimum wage at the ballot box, having passed a minimum wage increase in 2014 by nearly 70%. 

Now, the Alaska Division of Elections must count and validate the signatures within 60 days and determine if the measure has qualified for the November ballot. 

“A truly thriving economy means every worker can earn a decent wage, decent benefits, and feel secure in their jobs. The rising cost of living is putting millions of families on edge, and ballot measures are a key way to enact the necessary policy changes to ensure working families have security,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project. “The Fairness Project is proud to stand with Better Jobs for Alaska and extend our work of winning better wages and stronger benefits for millions of workers across the country. We’re very optimistic that the strong coalition in Alaska — which has the support of workers, small businesses, labor unions, and many more — will see this measure through to the finish line in November.”

While Congress has not passed a federal minimum wage increase since 2009, the Fairness Project has supported and won 10 ballot measure campaigns in several states and localities to raise the minimum wage. This January, wages increased in eight places as a result of laws passed by citizens or subsequent adjustments for inflation and cost of living. See below for a list of wage increases happening in 2024 as a result of Fairness Project campaigns: 

  • Arizona: Increasing from $13.85 to $14.35
  • Tucson, AZ: Increasing from $13.85 to $14.35
  • California: Increasing from $15.50 to $16
  • Colorado: Increasing from $13.65 to $14.42
  • Maine: Increasing from $13.80 to $14.15
  • Missouri: Increasing from $12 to $12.30
  • Nebraska: Increasing from $10.50 to $12
  • Washington state: Increasing from $15.74 to $16.28

Read more about Better Jobs for Alaska here and about the Fairness Project here.

 

back to top