Labor & Commerce
RSSLabor & Commerce in Alaska is the laws, agencies and disputes that shape work and business across the state. It takes in collective bargaining, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and workforce training, along with the legislature's Labor and Commerce committees.
Labor Department proposes retroactive OK for GCI 401(k) holding stock rights
Labor Department proposed exempting GCI's 401(k) plan from a rule barring it from holding GCI Liberty stock rights. The plan already sold them on Nasdaq, netting about $133,600.
by Walter AlaskaNews21h ago1 min read
Health care workers tell Alaska high school students many jobs don't need a four-year degree
Some health care jobs take 6 to 12 weeks of training, and Alaska teens can get a pharmacy tech license at 16, students heard at a state career session.
by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
State labor agency holds public refresher on collective bargaining Tuesday
Ever wonder how public workers' contracts get made? A management guy and a union guy walk through it Tuesday at a state session in Anchorage and on Zoom.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
State agencies host Oct. 12-13 Anchorage conference on disability employment
State agencies host an Employment First Conference Oct. 12-13 in Anchorage to address why only 51% of Alaskans with disabilities work, compared to 77% without.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read
Fairbanks would require union labor agreements on big borough projects
Fairbanks wants union-negotiated labor agreements on borough projects over $3.5 million, using an ordinance copied almost word for word from Anchorage.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska moves to cap what workers' comp pays for creams and patches
Alaska wants to cap what workers' comp pays for creams and patches — after minor formula tweaks were billed at hundreds or thousands of dollars.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska would change who can question the medical report in a workers' comp fight
Alaska is rewriting how injured workers' claims get fought: who can question the doctor who wrote the report, and how the lawyer gets paid.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska's labor agency has management and a union teaching bargaining together
A city HR director and an IBEW business agent will teach Alaska public employers and unions how to bargain, together, at a state session this month.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage restaurant is accused of employing 24 minors without permits
Twenty-four employees aged 13 to 17 are alleged to have worked at an Anchorage restaurant without work permits, in at least 1,279 violations.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Alaska lacks the skilled workers for the LNG project, a report says
A state analysis says Alaska can't train enough workers for the LNG project — even as the state that funds much of that training warned of the gap in 2018.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage union deals would sweeten benefits amid a labor shortage
Two union contracts before the Anchorage Assembly would sweeten benefits — rehire leave credit, easier holiday pay, master's tuition — for a labor shortage.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage tightens the rule on city workers' holiday pay
Anchorage is tightening its holiday-pay rule for city workers: miss any part of the shift before or after a holiday and you forfeit the pay. It hits six city unions, up for a July 21 vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29
Tessera is hiring veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities at the Mat-Su Job Center on July 29 for facility management, manufacturing, and warehousing roles.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Airlines crews could lose state break protections
A federal proposal would strip state-guaranteed meal and rest breaks from airline crews, including Alaska Airlines flight attendants — leaving only the federal standard in place.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law
Alaska raised its maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470, the first increase since 2009, and will adjust it annually going forward.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Job and training help for western Alaska's storm-displaced residents
Months after last October's storms displaced western Alaska residents, the state has gathered job and training help for them, part of a still-growing recovery effort.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A new federal complaint line for Alaska's rural producers
Alaska farmers and ranchers fed up with federal enforcement have a new complaint portal — though in a state where Washington controls the land, it's a new ear, not a remedy.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Alaska's minimum wage hits $14 — the raise voters ordered
Alaska's minimum wage rose to $14 on July 1 — step two of the raise voters passed in 2024, which also handed every worker in the state paid sick leave.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Tom Begich goes after Dunleavy over vocational-training vetoes
Begich is hammering Dunleavy for vetoing job-training money while the state promises a pipeline built by Alaskans — a rare direct shot at the governor from the campaign trail.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A union-labor fight is breaking out over who builds Alaska's gas line
Alaska's forever-promised gas line finally has a fight worth watching — a union-labor mandate, a governor hopeful crying foul, and no one's seen the actual text.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to consider AMEA-ASEA merger recognition June 23
Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on recognizing ASEA as the bargaining representative for municipal employees after a union merger took effect in April.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote June 23 on 5 labor agreements across 4 unions
Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on five labor agreements with four unions that relax holiday pay eligibility and add benefits including a steward position and parental leave updates.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska AFL-CIO endorsed Peltola for Senate and Hill for House Wednesday
Alaska AFL-CIO endorsed Peltola and Hill. The federation traditionally goes Democratic. The other side wasn't asked.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska job centers promote tax credits for hiring ex-felons
Alaska's 13 job centers promote federal tax credits and bonding insurance to employers who hire people with felony records, offering employers up to 40 percent of first-year wages in tax breaks.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Labor department hosts Fairbanks skills event Wednesday
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development hosts a skills and employment event Wednesday, June 3, in Fairbanks through its Job Center Network.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes pay-card wage bill after fee provision removed
Alaska House passed a bill allowing employers to offer pay cards as an alternative to paychecks, with protections against merchant fees and free cash withdrawals. A provision to stop credit card companies from charging fees on restaurant tips and taxes was removed during committee review.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate adds unemployment benefit increase to insurance bill
Alaska Senate raised the state's maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470 by amending an insurance bill, after rejecting a higher $525 proposal over cost concerns.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska House raises unemployment benefits, expands telehealth coverage
Alaska House raised maximum weekly unemployment benefits from $370 to $470, first increase since 2009. • Expanded telehealth coverage and raised disability pay for firefighters and police from 40 percent to 75 percent. • Updated insurance laws to clarify rebates and ban misleading advertising.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska House passes five healthcare licensure compacts in single bill
Alaska House unanimously approved five healthcare licensure compacts for physicians, physician assistants, EMS personnel, psychologists, and social workers to help the state compete for federal rural health funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
