OPINION: For better jobs and Alaska families, vote yes on Ballot Measure 1

Let’s start with a little trivia: 10 years ago, one of the most popular ballot measures to ever be on an Alaska statewide ballot passed. What was it?

I’ll give you a moment. Any guesses? No, not legalized marijuana (53.23%). Nope, not the 1976 constitutional amendment to establish the Permanent Fund (66.24%).

The answer: In 2014, the ballot measure to increase Alaska’s minimum wage passed with almost 70% of the vote (69.35%, to be exact).

This year, Alaskans will vote on Ballot Measure 1 in November. It is a renewed effort to gradually increase Alaska’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by July 2027 and allow all Alaska workers to earn paid sick leave, as well as increase worker freedom.

Fair wages and benefits make our communities, economy and state stronger. With food costs and rents growing faster than wages, and when one in four Alaska workers don’t have a single paid sick day, it’s clear Ballot Measure 1 is needed.

Too many Alaskans face impossible choices between their paycheck and their family’s health. Sending a sick child to school risks making them sicker and infecting others. Going to work sick risks spreading illness to coworkers, customers, and beyond. But missing a paycheck to care for yourself or your kid can mean having to choose between buying food or paying rent.

In 2014, we ran the minimum wage initiative campaign on a shoestring budget, and yet we still earned the votes of almost 70% of the electorate. This year, we have a campaign run by, managed by and led by Alaskans, which has raised almost $2.5 million in support. That support shows the deep belief in and support for this ballot initiative. This is about Alaska jobs, Alaska families and the Alaska economy.

I’ve been privileged to spend much of my career advocating for workers across the 49th state. I’ve seen firsthand the challenges that families face: balancing work and family, making ends meet in a place with high costs of living, and trying to provide a better future for our children. These challenges are why Ballot Measure 1 is so important.

Raising the minimum wage and enabling workers to earn paid sick time will boost consumer spending at local businesses, reduce costly employee turnover, increase productivity, strengthen customer service, improve health and safety, and help businesses and communities thrive. Measure 1 is already supported by more than 120 businesses in the growing Alaska Business for Better Jobs coalition, including a wide range of small businesses around the state, the Alaska Black Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Polling data shows most Alaskans support Ballot Measure 1. The research, conducted by Breakthrough Campaigns for the Yes on 1 for Better Jobs campaign, showed that more than 60% of likely 2024 voters plan to support the measure.

Join me and a large, growing coalition of Alaskans. For our kids, our working families and for a stronger state, vote yes on Ballot Measure 1.

Ed Flanagan, Chair of Yes on 1 for Better Jobs, is a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor, and also served as chair of the 2014 ballot initiative campaign to raise Alaska’s minimum wage.

The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.