On Labor Day, support Alaska’s workers

Labor Day marks the end of a busy summer of picnics, fishing, finishing projects, hosting visitors, picking berries, getting ready for hunting season and settling into the school routine. All these Alaska activities keep us strong and enrich our lives plus, for many of us, provide a livelihood.

Having a job with fair pay and benefits makes it possible to continue to live in a beautiful place like Alaska and in turn, workers are able to contribute to sustaining the community. As a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, I am familiar with the history of our organization and marvel at how far things have come since it was founded in 1891. While that era ushered Americans into the Second Industrial Revolution, workers fought hard for training standards and electrical guidelines, with one of the biggest drivers being worker safety.

In Alaska, we send workers out into some challenging weather conditions day and night, because projects don’t stop due to the change in seasons and emergencies rarely happen on clear, sunny days. We all know the challenges of living in Alaska too, like the weather, transportation, utility costs and the high prices of goods.

Communities thrive where good jobs with fair pay exist so people can afford to invest, put down roots and stay. It’s this cyclical investment of work, money and energy that changes places for the better over the long haul and we have seen the success it has brought to Alaska. It is also the opportunity our state has provided through projects such like ports, commercial real estate, medical facilities, utility infrastructure, public buildings, roads, bridges, airports, pipelines and more.

From apprentices and journeymen, to new hires, to longtime managers, workers at every level deserve to have fair compensation and good working conditions. Many of these people are younger, skilled workers near the beginning of their careers who will be earning money, supporting local businesses, serving as volunteers and hopefully, retiring in a place they love.

Up here in Alaska, we need each other’s help once in a while — on the boat, in the mountains or wherever we may go. Sometimes, we need that same support to show up in a fair contract that helps keep skilled workers right here where we need them. This Labor Day, we ask the state to stand with workers and their families. It’s the Alaska thing to do.

Dave Reaves serves as business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547.

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Correction: An earlier version of this column gave the incorrect name of the organization the author is affiliated with. It’s the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547, not International Bureau.