Public-sector workers and lawmakers rallied in front of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau this Valentine’s Day to, according to organizers, “show some love” for state and local employees.
Some of the roughly 70 demonstrators at the Alaska State Employees Association rally carried signs calling on the governor to release a delayed statewide salary study. Union leaders filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration of illegally withholding the report funded by lawmakers in 2023.
ASEA Executive Director Heidi Drygas told the crowd the administration wants to delay the study's release.
"I think we know why, because it says we demand raises. We deserve raises," Drygas said. "Public employees right now are 15 to 20% underwater — 15 to 20% in this state, the most expensive state in the union."
The governor’s office says it hasn’t received a final report, and they say drafts and revisions they’ve asked for from the HR consultants conducting the study are legally protected from disclosure.
Many of the protestors also carried signs calling on the state to create a new pension system for public employees.
Many state workers are struggling to make ends meet, said Jodi Stuart, a probation and parole officer in Kenai who serves on the union’s board.
"I have, myself, had to think of, 'How am I going to pay for studded tires?'" she said. "And you want to know what? I can't."
Union leaders were joined by a bipartisan group of majority caucus lawmakers who made addressing the state’s worker shortage a key campaign priority.
The largely Democratic bipartisan coalitions controlling the House and Senate are pushing to pass a bill that would create a new defined benefit system to replace the state’s existing 401(k)-style defined contribution plan. Advocates say it’s one reason the state is struggling with vacancies and turnover.
Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, told demonstrators the state’s failure to hire and hang onto its employees is cascading through Alaska’s economy.
"I've had folks contact me daily about not being able to get their business licenses or professional licenses on time, not getting their grants and contracts on time, not getting permits for resource development, not being able to retire in a timely fashion and get that retirement benefit, not getting paid on time," Carrick said. "This is not your fault as state employees. This is the fault of our administration."
Leaders are optimistic they’ll come up with a pension bill that can pass both chambers, but the bill’s fate at the governor’s desk is uncertain.
