By Steve Kirch
KTUU-TV (Alaska's News Source), December 31, 2024

Workers in Alaska can anticipate two pay raises in 2025, along with a new benefit that was not available in 2024, as a result of two ballot measures passed over the last ten years. The Alaska minimum wage will increase from $11.73 to $11.91 in 2025, starting on New Year’s Day. This change is due to a ballot initiative passed by voters in 2014, which allows for annual adjustments based on inflation. However, on July 1, 2025, wages will again increase to $13 per hour due to Ballot Measure 1, another ballot measure passed by voters in 2024. ...

Mark Robokoff, owner of AK Bark in Anchorage, said he is embracing the changes in the new year.

“Nobody ever seems to mention the other side of the coin, and that is that all of these people that we run into every day, multiple times a day, they’re all going to be making more money. All of a sudden, they’re going to have more money to spend. Even the revenue for every small business is going to go up,” he said.

Furthermore, he said any employer that has issues with the provisions in Ballot Measure 1 needs to reexamine their business plans.

“The community is going to get better, just because everybody is a little bit more comfortable and is taking a larger part of the Anchorage economy,” Robokoff said. ...

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