The state-required financial disclosures from the “Yes on 1” (raising the minimum wage) campaign show that the money supporting the ballot initiative is primarily from outside Alaska.
Only about $60,000 of the Yes on 1 group’s $2.6 million war chest was contributed this year by Alaska organizations — four unions.
One Outside funder, The Fairness Project of Washington D.C., provided at least $1.5 million in money and technical expertise. That includes a $1.1 million wire transfer on Sept. 9 to the Yes on 1 group.
The Fairness Project is a 501(c)(4) and is running seven similar ballot measure campaigns across the country this election cycle.
“A left-leaning advocacy group called the Fairness Project has created a playbook for using ballot initiatives to go around GOP-led state legislatures. Since 2016, it has backed successful initiatives to raise the minimum wage and expand Medicaid,” reported NPR.
The Fairness Project made an electronic funds transfer to the Yes on 1 group of $1,180,000 in on Sept. 9, and smaller amounts equaling about $100,000 at roughly the same time. It has been the regular periodic funder throughout the campaign.
The funds are being largely funneled to the Ship Creek Group, a political strategy company that works for Democrats and their causes. Other political operators are getting their fair share, however, for handling various media transactions and outreach duties. The Alaska Federation of Natives, for instance, received $10,000.
Financial disclosure statements published by the Alaska Public Offices Commission show the campaign for Ballot Measure No. 1 has about 30 contributions in total.
NEA-Alaska, Service Employees International Union 775 AK PAC, Teamsters Local 959, and ASEA Local 52 are the only four Alaska organizations that contributed.
The primary backers of The Fairness Project, which does not practice accounting transparency, include SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, a California health care workers union.
Unions back this minimum wage initiative because union wages are pegged to a percentage of the minimum wage and will automatically go up, driving up costs of goods and services across the entire economy of Alaska.
Excellent research and reporting, Suzanne.
Agree with you ChrissyB. I knew leftist $$ was behind this measure but Suzanne’s reporting made it able for me to connect the dots. My only disappointment has not been seeing ads opposing the measure. Perhaps this is because polls may be showing Alaskans are not falling for it?
Most all of the political advertising and rhetoric is coming from outside money.
It never used to be this way in Alaska. It was always local.
Why is so much money and so much pressure coming into Alaska to dictate who is in politics and who’s not?
Because the elites and the super rich don’t want to give up the power and stealing the money of the people.
The amount of money that’s been spent in Alaska could pay for her homeless. Wake up people and see what’s going on.
Why do they want to put unskilled Alaskans out of work?
More people dependent upon the Gov’t. And of course that’s a big fat lie b/c the Gov’t doesn’t give a rip! At some point as the agenda advances, they’ll decrease the amount of money or services folks get. Or limit or withdraw them all together. Most of what is called “heath care” (at least for the poor) is nothing more than administering drugs and minimal surgeries or medical procedures.
Making Alaska just like California- No thank you!
While I’m against raising the minimum wage (or even having one) I do wish to point out that nowhere in any union contract I have worked under does the federal or state minimum wage rate have any effect on my wage rate, unless the minimum rate is higher..but it’s nowhere close.
Minimum wage jobs are not meant to be sole means of support of a family. I remember watching a video with a woman complaining about how hard she works in her minimum wage fast food job and saying how she can’t afford anything. Then she mentioned she had worked in the job for ten years! Go get a better job, this is America! Don’t hope for some government handout.
I have a hard time understanding how someone can work at the same job in the same position for 10 years without advancing in position and salary. In most min wage jobs, if someone sticks around for a min of 6 months, they can be promoted to manager. To work in the same job for the same company for 10 years shows a dedicated worker who hasn’t done anything to get fired over! Give that gal a promotion!
Vote No on 1.
Keep government out of your business. This is inflationary. This will diminish jobs for youth. This will stress businesses and could close already stressed businesses. Hours could be diminished. In the end you will pay and the introductory job employees will not benefit. This is do-gooding that is counter productive. Vote No on 1.
Yup, the servile class is beggin’ for a few cents more, and for what–to squander money on Christmas toys like yo-yos, jacks, Raggedy Ann dolls, slinkies, and board games like checkers? Look, they can tighten their belts like the rest of us.
Besides, had they studied harder they too could have earned masters and doctorate degrees in divinity, philosophy, jurisprudence, communications, and public relations and would have been comfortable today; instead sloth and laziness got the best of them–they’ve earned what they have! That’s the truth–alternate or otherwise!
If you need a biblical quote to clear your conscience, here’s one from the KJV (2 Tim 6:10): “For the love of money is the root of all evil….” So why pave their way to hell by passing a minimum wage initiative: it’s truly a dark idea!
Which one of the deciples carried the money bag? There was one ya know.
Excellent point.
See, money IS the root of all evil.
Edit: “master’s and doctorate degrees in divinity….”
Edit: “KJV (1 Tim 6:10)”
Wow just the thought of Alaska political and economic structure all being dictated by outside lower 48 east coast based special interest political “change” groups that we have no clue what their goals and interests are is very scary.
Alaska’s “last frontier” years are clearly gone since way before the turn of the century and headed into a “black hole” in space that nobody from Alaska has ever seen or “imagined” before as the term the kackling Kamala likes to use.
And you thought eating out was expensive now? This prop 1 is an attack on small business.
This act would also require paid sick leave for many employees. Smaller employers would allow 40 or more hours of sick leave per year. Larger employers would allow 56 or more hours. Sick leave would carry over to the next year.
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So State employees get to discriminate between “smaller” and “larger” employers.
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This act would prohibit employers from making their employees attend meetings about reli-
gious or political issues.
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So any employee(s) could complain about any meeting being religious or political, and force the employer spend lots of time and money defending himself from crap that never happened?
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Prayer, Salat, Pledge of Allegiance illegal now?
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Every meeting needs a court stenographer now?
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What happens when union organizers show up with their version of “religious or political”?
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Seems reasonable to expect more than a few business closures, layoffs, and decentralizations (to avoid the “larger employers” curse).
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All this because Alaska’s voter rolls and election systems are corrupt enough to persuade “dark money” investors that control of Alaska’s economy (and people) is theirs for the taking?
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Yet another dose of inflation, business closures, market crashes, an 80’s-style mass exodus, why wouldn’t Alaska’s economy (and remaining people) be theirs for the taking?
The outside money comes in because they know that they need to turn Alaska blue to win in elections that grow ever tighter each year. The days of Dems and Republicans not giving a crap about our few inconsequential electoral votes are over. And because all politics start at the local level, they are influencing every single issue that the left is pushing. Raising the minimum wage is just one issue in a long list on the leftist agenda. It is a slow creep, just look at Anchorage. Soon this red state will be solidly blue as per their plan.
If laws dictate wages, then why do we need unions? I used to believe unions have a time and a place, but now I think they are just as nefarious and incompetent as the government and as greedy as corporations seeking monopolies. They have totally lost the plot.
This isn’t just an increase one time. This is a huge increase over the next 3 years and guarantees it to keep raising after that. And it makes it so service jobs that make more from tips to still get at least $15 per hour. This is a Bernie Sanders level minimum wage increase. And it looks like it is going to pass. Our cost of living was slowly starting to match the lower 48. For example, It’s easier to buy a house in Anchorage than anywhere in western Washington. This makes all of that go away. Back to tourists having a cardiac arrest when they see our prices. And slopers are definitely going to live elsewhere.
I don’t think anybody actually looked at the amount of increase this really is. I would love to ask the people who voted for this if they think raising the minimum wage to $45 per hour would make us all rich, and if they are smart enough to know it does not, I would ask them then where is the sweet spot and how should that be calculated?
Liberal foodies, I hope you enjoy paying $25-30 for a hamburger. Idiots.
And sorry young people. You will have to start your own business to get a job.