Alaska Employment Law

We reviewed major employment bills on February 22nd.  Here’s what’s happened since then (bottom line: not much):

Caps on mandatory overtime for nurses: CSSB 28 (B. Davis) would set caps on mandatory overtime (generally 80 hours in a 14-day period, though with multiple exceptions), and establish an enforcement process in the Department of Health and Social Services.  Update: Senate passed 17-3 on March 27th.  The House has taken no action.  

Political expenditures by public unions: SB 77 (C. Bunde) would prohibit public unions from using agency shop fees for political contributions or expenditures unless the public employee affirmatively authorized such.   Update: No movement. 

Break times for nursing mothers: SB 113 (Ellis) would require employers of any size to provide reasonable unpaid break time each day for an employees who wish to nurse children, and, unless it would cause a hardship, a private space to do so.  Update: No movement.

Raise in minimum wage: SB 187 (Wielechowski, Thomas, & Elton) would increase the minimum wage on and after January 1, 2009, and tie it to the Anchorage CPI.  Update: No movement.

Mandatory paid sick leave:  SB 258 (by request) would require minimal paid sick leave for non-unionized employees  (1 hour for each 40 hours of work), regulate the permissible uses for such leave (including care for domestic partner), and provide for enforcement (through the Wage and Hour Act).  Update: No movement.