To: The Alaska State Senate
Don't Close Alaska!
Dear Senators Pete Kelley, Anna MacKinnon and Mike Dunleavy,
State employees are our neighbors, friends and families and they work hard for the citizens of Alaska every day. They make sure our communities and children are protected and our water and natural resources are safe. They make sure that the essential and critical Maritime Highway system, state airports and libraries are accessible to all our citizens. Vital services for all Alaskans, from our youngest children in Head Start programs to our Veterans, will be affected if you do not do your job and pass a budget for Alaska. A contract is a contract and a deal is a deal - we are depending on you!
State employees are our neighbors, friends and families and they work hard for the citizens of Alaska every day. They make sure our communities and children are protected and our water and natural resources are safe. They make sure that the essential and critical Maritime Highway system, state airports and libraries are accessible to all our citizens. Vital services for all Alaskans, from our youngest children in Head Start programs to our Veterans, will be affected if you do not do your job and pass a budget for Alaska. A contract is a contract and a deal is a deal - we are depending on you!
Why is this important?
The State Legislature has opted to not honor state employee contracts resulting in layoff notices to some 10,000 employees. The Legislature is citing a budget deficit of $3 billion dollars, but that isn't the real reason. Alaska has a rainy day fund of over $10 billion to deal with budget shortfalls like this.
These layoffs mean state government departments would curtail or eliminate vital services should the Alaska Legislature's budget impasse continue resulting in a partial government shutdown occur on July 1.
Here are just a few services that will be affected:
Department of Transportation: A dozen state airports would operate at reduced hours.
Department of Administration: Oversight of elected officials and lobbyists would stop; labor contract bargaining would cease; and hundreds of state leases will not be paid in full.
Department of Military and Veteran Affairs: All Office of Veterans Affairs staff members would be laid off. All Alaska Military Youth Academy staffers would be laid off after August. Only three staff members would stay on at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development: service reductions and cuts would impact rural utility assistance.
Department of Education: State general funds for early learning will be reduced by $5.7 million, potentially closing Head Start programs.
Department of Labor: All staff members would be laid off at the Alaska Labor Relations Agency, Wage and Hour Administration, and the Alaska Workforce Investment Board.
These layoffs mean state government departments would curtail or eliminate vital services should the Alaska Legislature's budget impasse continue resulting in a partial government shutdown occur on July 1.
Here are just a few services that will be affected:
Department of Transportation: A dozen state airports would operate at reduced hours.
Department of Administration: Oversight of elected officials and lobbyists would stop; labor contract bargaining would cease; and hundreds of state leases will not be paid in full.
Department of Military and Veteran Affairs: All Office of Veterans Affairs staff members would be laid off. All Alaska Military Youth Academy staffers would be laid off after August. Only three staff members would stay on at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development: service reductions and cuts would impact rural utility assistance.
Department of Education: State general funds for early learning will be reduced by $5.7 million, potentially closing Head Start programs.
Department of Labor: All staff members would be laid off at the Alaska Labor Relations Agency, Wage and Hour Administration, and the Alaska Workforce Investment Board.