00                         HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 5                                                                         
01 Urging Governor Dunleavy and the Department of Administration to release all copies                                     
02 of the statewide salary study.                                                                                          
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                         
04       WHEREAS the state is facing a recruitment and retention crisis for public employees,                            
05 including firefighters, public safety officers, teachers, road maintenance operators, benefits                          
06 processers, and other public sector employees; and                                                                      
07       WHEREAS the average vacancy rate for state jobs is 16 percent, with some divisions                              
08 facing vacancy rates at double that average; and                                                                        
09       WHEREAS the last time the state conducted a salary study was in 2009; and                                       
10       WHEREAS, in 2023, the Alaska State Legislature appropriated $1,000,000 to                                       
11 conduct a salary study with an expected completion date of July 2024; and                                               
12 WHEREAS the purpose of the salary study was to gather data on salary and                                              
13 compensation practices across various industries, compare external market data with salary                              
14 and pay structures in the classification and pay plan of state jobs, and provide a report of                            
15 findings to inform decision making regarding wages and compensation; and                                                
16       WHEREAS, in December 2023, the state signed a contract with The Segal Company                                   

01 (Western States), Inc., for $775,000 to conduct the salary study; and                                                   
02 WHEREAS, in testimony before the House State Affairs Committee on January 30,                                         
03 2025, officials of the Department of Administration reported that a draft salary study was                              
04 completed before the original deadline; and                                                                             
05 WHEREAS, since the original deadline of the salary study, the Department of                                           
06 Administration has issued four contract amendments, bringing the total cost of the salary                               
07 study up to $950,000; the second of those contract amendments was issued on August 26,                                  
08 2024, authorizing an additional $80,000 for approximately 100 hours of work by The Segal                                
09 Company (Western States), Inc., that has not, to date, yielded a result, despite the passage of                         
10 an additional six months; and                                                                                           
11 WHEREAS, in the House State Affairs Committee meeting on January 30, 2025, the                                        
12 officials of the Department of Administration said that the new expected release date for the                           
13 statewide salary study is March 31, 2025; and                                                                           
14 WHEREAS, in the fourth amendment to the original contract dated December 16,                                          
15 2024, the contract between the Department of Administration and The Segal Company                                       
16 (Western States), Inc., was extended to June 30, 2025, at an additional cost of $70,000, and it                         
17 remains unclear, with this amendment, whether the department will adhere to the expected                                
18 March 31, 2025, release date; and                                                                                       
19 WHEREAS AS 23.40.215 requires that monetary terms for collective bargaining                                           
20 agreements be submitted to the Alaska State Legislature by the 60th day of the legislative                              
21 session, which is March 21, 2025; and                                                                                   
22 WHEREAS the salary study is a vital tool for decision making between the state and                                    
23 collective bargaining units to ensure that working Alaskans receive fair and competitive                                
24 wages, and, without the salary study available during the collective bargaining process, it is                          
25 likely that public sector employee salaries will continue to stagnate and further hinder                                
26 recruitment and retention in the state;                                                                                 
27 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges Governor Dunleavy and                                          
28 the Department of Administration to release all copies of the salary study, including all drafts                        
29 produced and provided to the administration before the date of passage of this resolution.                              
30 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Mike Dunleavy, Governor                                      
31 of Alaska; the Honorable Nancy Dahlstrom, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska; the Honorable                                  

01 Paula Vrana, Commissioner, Department of Administration; and Mr. Richard Ward, Senior                                   
02 Vice President, The Segal Company (Western States), Inc.