Fairbanks: Paging all Hard Workers! Jobs in the Capitol, Seafood and More!

October 20, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

Lawmakers are beginning to narrow down focus on the legislative agenda for Juneau over the next two months. Session begins in January and most offices will be closed for the move in late December. The legislators of the Interior Delegation have been hosting meetings with a variety of organizations, businesses and government agencies to understand community priorities and set goals for the session. If anyone would like to schedule a meeting directly with my office or with the Interior Delegation, feel free to reach out to the office anytime.

In the current issue of my e-newsletter, the District has a lot of upcoming events you won’t want to miss; have a desire to work in the Capitol this year; a worker shortage across Alaska highlights the need for better employee retention and let’s nominate the best business in town!

Worker Shortage Raises Stakes on Retention

By now, you may have heard about the worker shortage, not just in Alaska, but in the entire United States. As a large population of ‘boomers’ retired and COVID forced or hastened retirements, the fewer number of younger employees has meant that any employees are often hard to find, hard to please and can quickly jump from job opening to job opening. In the Alaska Economic Trend October 2023 edition, the researchers look at the labor shortage, causes, impacts to employees and small businesses and other methods to incentivize retention of employees, especially in high demand jobs.

During the last session, Senator Cathy Giessel and several Senate Majority members introduced legislation to create a new ‘defined benefit’ retirement system. SB88 is similar to a retirement system that existed before 2004, but is cost-effective and solvent and hopes to add one more key benefit to retain low wage public employees, teachers and police officers to work in Alaska-rather than training here, just to leave in future years. SB88 is currently in the Senate Finance Committee and still has a long process ahead of it.

The Alaska State Legislature needs YOU!

Do you want a front-row view of the Alaska Legislature doing the business of the people, voting on bills and delivering speeches that make history? You can be an important part of the action in Juneau!

The Alaska State Senate (and House of Representatives) is looking for interested young Alaskans to serve as Floor Staff this year! These are full-time, seasonal, salaried positions from January 8 until early to mid-May, with an option to stay on for any special sessions. All full-time employees receive medical, retirement and leave benefits. Starting pay is range 13A ($1,838.40 bi-weekly / $22.98 hour).

Floor staff are on call in the Senate Chamber each day of the legislative session to provide non-partisan services and support to legislative members, including:

Preparing the Chamber for legislative sessions.
Supervising access to the Chamber and galleries.
Document distribution, whether in the form of Legislators' notes, letters, packages or agency communications.
Maintenance of Chamber materials including bill files, journals, amendments and other documents.
Preparing committee rooms for legislative hearings.
Driving the legislative vehicles as requested.

Interested individuals should email a resume to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Matt Simpson at Matt.Simpson@akleg.gov

Public Transportation Is Fast, Easy and Inexpensive!

Did you know that 70% of Fairbanksans use a personal vehicle to go to work every day? How about that only 0.7% of Fairbanksans use the public transport system to get to work?! Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation Planning (FAST Planning) held an open house Tuesday, October 17, giving the public the opportunity to state their needs and wants for the public transportation system in Fairbanks. Corey DiRutigliano, a transportation planner, spoke about creating a better online system around MACS Transit with online scheduling, E-tickets, real-time bus tracking and being able to pay on the bus with an app. There are lots of amazing resources, plans and ways to get involved on FAST Plannings website.

October is National Seafood Month!

I eat Alaska’s bounty of seafood year-round, but this month I celebrate National Seafood Month! Alaska is blessed with tremendous fisheries within our lakes, rivers and ocean and to have communities that benefit from them for food, cultural heritage and economic well-being. As a legislative ex-officio member of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Board, I am excited to promote our seafood exports around the globe. I am excited every time I read a menu or visit a fish monger who sells seafood from our state. Alaska is the top US seafood producer and represents 2/3 of the wild seafood harvest in the United States in a typical year! There are over 62K workers in the commercial seafood industry, half of whom are Alaska residents. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, protein and minerals like selenium, zinc and iodine help contribute to improved vision, healthy brain function, strong immune systems and healthy muscles and bones.

Alaska seafood is a renewable natural resource that can thrive under the right conditions as it has for a millennia for the indigenous peoples across the state. For longer than a decade, Alaskans on the Yukon and Kuskokwim tributaries upstream have had to bear gear restrictions and management decisions that have left them with fewer fish with which to subsist or even wholesale closures. This desperate loss of food pales in comparison to the loss of an entire river-based culture. The State of Alaska must do better and work closer with federal agency regulators, the sport and commercial fishing industry, subsistence fishers and tribal and village governance and native corporations to solve these common problems.

Alaskan Workers should be able to Afford to Live Here!

Alaskan workers are some of the heartiest and hardest workers in the states. We battle the frigid cold, long hours, limited daylight and a high cost of living with little complaint. Shouldn’t hard work be rewarded? My democratic colleagues in the House like, Representative Armstrong, have been trying to ensure that employees are able to take paid family leave as well as making sure employees can take time off rather than being forced to substitute accrued paid leave.

Better Jobs for Alaska is working on a ballot initiative campaign to raise the minimum wage, require paid sick leave and ensure worker freedom from captive audience meetings in Alaska. These assurances are vital in keeping Alaska a state where people want to work. To learn more, stop by Black Spruce Brewing Company on October 26th starting at 7pm or visit their website!

A Whole Lot to Do - Upcoming Events

Some truly spooky things are occurring in the Fairbanks area this October... Check them out!

October 20th

Boy Scouts of America Midnight Sun Council’s Haunted Trails Family Friendly Drive-Thru Event at Ice Art Park (3574 Phillips Field Rd.) from 5pm – 9pm, $20 per car

October 21st

Halloween Carnival by West Valley Model UN Club at West Valley High School (3800 Geist Rd.) from noon to 4pm, $5 per child admission (adults/chaperones are free)

Creepy Critter Program: The Boreal Bloodsuckers at Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Rescue (1300 College Rd.) from noon to 4pm, free admission (donations appreciated)

Boy Scouts of America Midnight Sun Council’s Haunted Trails Family Friendly Drive-Thru Event at Ice Art Park (3574 Phillips Field Rd.) from 5pm – 9pm, $20 per car

October 27th

Boy Scouts of America Midnight Sun Council’s Haunted Trails Family Friendly Drive-Thru Event at Ice Art Park (3574 Phillips Field Rd.) from 5pm – 9pm, $20 per car

October 28th

Boozaar at Bentley Mall from 10am to 7pm, free admission

Halloween Trick or Treat Town at Pioneer Park (2300 Airport Way) from 1pm – 7pm (Super Spooky for older kids from 7pm – 8pm), $5 early-bird tickets until 10/27 or $8 at the gate admission

Boy Scouts of America Midnight Sun Council’s Haunted Trails Family Friendly Drive-Thru Event at Ice Art Park (3574 Phillips Field Rd.) from 5pm – 9pm, $20 per car

October 29th

Rove Community Trail Trick-or-Treat at Wedgewood Resort Wander Lake Trail (212 Wedgewood Dr.) from 3pm – 5pm, free admission

Fairbanks Symphony Halloween Spooktacular at UAF Davis Concert Hall (1708 Tanana Loop) from 4pm – 6pm, $40-$50 admission

October 30th

Spooky Trail at Tanana Lakes Recreation Area from 6pm – 8pm, $5 per family admission

October 31st

Not-So-Spooky Halloween at Fairbanks Children’s Museum (302 Cushman St., Ste. 101) from 10am to 7pm, ages 1-99 $10 admission

October 31st –Trick or Treat at Fairbanks City Hall (800 Cushman St.) from 3pm – 6pm, free admission

Halloween Carnival at Doyon Ltd Chief’s Court (1 Doyon Place) from 3:30pm – 6:30pm, free admission

Halloween Festival at Ester Volunteer Fire Department (3570 Old Nenana Hwy.) from 4pm – 6pm, free admission

Halloween at Museum of the North (1962 Yukon Dr.) from 4pm – 6pm, free admission (canned food donations requested)

My Staff and I are Here for You

As always, I and my staff are are still working for you. Feel free to contact my office and we will assist you with issues important to you and your family.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,