Alaska’s minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1 from $10.85 to $11.73 an hour, in accordance with a law put in place by a 2014 citizen initiative, the state Department of Labor announced.
The law mandates regular increases in the minimum wage to match inflation rates as determined by the Consumer Price Index in Anchorage.
Compared to the rest of the nation, the state’s minimum wage is “a little bit middling right now,” said Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO. It appears on track to stay that way for at least the near term. Even after the increase that will go into effect at the start of 2024, 20 states will have higher minimum wages than Alaska’s, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Even as Alaska’s minimum wage is headed for an incremental increase, an initiative campaign is underway to hike the state’s minimum pay more.
The initiative, sponsored by a group called Better Jobs for Alaska, would bring the minimum wage to $13 an hour in 2025, $14 an hour in 2026 and then $15 an hour the following year. Beyond that, annual increases would be pegged to inflation in the manner currently used.
The current system put similar steps in place, starting from the 2014 minimum wage of $7.75 an hour.
While the current system is expected to eventually bring Alaska’s minimum wage to $15, the initiative would accomplish that goal faster, said Hall, who is involved in the campaign.
The initiative was certified on Sept. 1 by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees the state...
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