Anchorage Assembly to vote June 23 on 5 labor agreements across 4 unions

Municipal workers in Anchorage could see a relaxed holiday pay eligibility standard under five administrative agreements the Anchorage Assembly is set to vote on June 23. The package covers four unions: IBEW Local 1547 appears in two separate agreements, one for general government employees and one for technicians, alongside IUOE Local 302 operating engineers, Plumbers and Steamfitters UA Local 367, and Public Employees Local 71.

The agreements align union contracts with AO 2026-35, an ordinance the Assembly adopted that amended Anchorage Municipal Code section 3.30.144 on holiday pay. Under the old contract language, employees had to be in paid status for their entire shift on the last regular workday before a holiday and the next regular workday after a holiday to remain eligible for holiday pay. The new standard grants holiday pay to employees who worked or were in paid status for at least part of their scheduled shift on the day before or the day after the holiday is observed. Dar'Shon Tucker signed the agreements on behalf of the Municipality. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted them to the Assembly.

Before acting, the Assembly must allow a 28-day public review and comment period covering the labor agreement terms, a summary of economic effects, and contract changes. The administration states the agreements carry no significant economic effects.

The IBEW technicians agreement also includes a modified-schedule holiday clarification. For employees working schedules such as a 4-10 or 9-80, when a recognized holiday falls on the employee's first or second day off, the preceding scheduled workday is observed as the holiday. When the holiday falls on the third through seventh day off, the succeeding scheduled workday is observed as the holiday.

The Local 71 agreement, which runs through June 30, 2028, goes further than the holiday pay change. It adds one union steward position for the Healthy Spaces program, updates paid parental leave language to reflect current municipal code, and credits some rehired employees with prior service for leave accrual. Any regular, full-time employee rehired on or after July 1, 2026, who voluntarily separated within the preceding ten years, will have prior years of service counted toward their annual leave accrual rate. The IUOE Local 302 agreement covers a contract effective through June 30, 2026, while the Plumbers and Steamfitters agreement runs through June 30, 2030.

The Plumbers and Steamfitters agreement takes effect September 1, 2026, if the Assembly approves it. The other four take effect immediately upon passage. Under AMC 3.70.130, any modification not approved by the Assembly is null and void.