Alaska voters have approved an initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 and guarantee sick leave for most employees.
According to the latest election results, Ballot Measure 1 is passing with about 56% of the vote, with nearly all precincts counted. Under the measure, the minimum wage will rise to $15 by 2027, with annual adjustments for inflation after that.
The last time the minimum wage was changed in Alaska was by voter initiative in 2014, which raised it to $9.75 per hour, with annual adjustments afterward. It is currently $11.73.
The measure had broad support from labor groups and a small business coalition of more than 130 businesses heading into election day. Supporters argued that a higher minimum wage is better for workers and, in turn, better for businesses because there’s more money circulating in the community.
“I hear from business owners all the time who know that for their business to succeed, they need a solid customer base,” said Derrick Green, the owner of East Anchorage’s Waffles and Whatnot, in a prepared statement following the measure’s approval. “More income circulating throughout our communities strengthens our customer base and our economy. And I know as a restaurant owner, it makes more sense to have better wages and low employee turnover than low wages and high turnover. Enacting Ballot Measure 1 will help our businesses and communities thrive.”
Opposition to the measure formed late in the cycle, backed by groups like the Alaska Chamber, the Alaska Support Industry Alliance and Alaska CHARR, which represents bars, restaurants and hotels. Several Republican legislators also opposed the measure.
Still, the late-arriving effort may have made a dent.
While it passed with a large margin, this year’s minimum wage initiative passed by a much smaller margin — about 13 percentage points — than the 2014 minimum wage initiative, which passed by a nearly 40-point margin.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
