Former state labor commissioner Ed Flanagan, State Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, and the Rev. Michael Burke of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage wheel boxes of signed petitions into a state Division of Elections office on Jan. 9. The petitions were for a ballot initiative to increase the state’s minimum wage, mandate paid sick leave and ensure that workers are not required to hear employers’ political or religious messages. Alaska voters passed the measure. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon.)
Voters in two red states agreed to increase their minimum wage in steps to $15 an hour and to require employers to give workers paid sick time, and a third red state also approved sick leave.
But a proposed $18-an-hour base wage in California failed, as did initiatives in two states to change the hourly rate for workers who earn tips.
The issue of “tipped wages” drew significant interest during the presidential campaign, when both major party nominees promised to eliminate federal taxes on tips. President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge would require the approval of Congress.