By Ava White
Alaska Public Media, September 5, 2024
A ballot measure that would raise Alaska’s minimum wage and allow workers to earn paid sick leave received support Thursday from a coalition of business owners. Members of Alaska Business for Better Jobs think the measure would positively impact Alaska businesses. ...
Derrick Green owns Waffles and Whatnot, a restaurant in east Anchorage. He has seven employees, who are already paid more than $15 an hour and accrue sick leave. ... Green said offering higher pay and paid time off makes workers happy, and when workers are happy, they’re more productive.
“Do you know what alienates customers at restaurants and other businesses? It’s when employees are constantly worried if they can make ends meet, and they cannot focus on doing the best that they can do while they’re at work,” he said. ...
Thea Agnew Bemben is the co-owner of Agnew Beck Consulting. Her employees also make more than $15 an hour and have sick leave. But she said working-age people are a pillar of the state’s business economy and thinks the measure could help retain them.
“When we recruit and hire, and train people and invest in them in our businesses, that doesn’t come cheaply. That’s a long process that takes time and effort. And when you hire someone and they don’t stay very long, that really wastes all that time, effort, and money,” she said. ...