Former Alaska labor commissioners decry teacher pay data suppression

Ed Flanagan, Click Bishop, Heidi Drygas and Jim Sampson

COMMENTARY

As former labor commissioners for the state of Alaska, we had the privilege of working with hundreds of dedicated employees who provide invaluable support, protection, and assistance to Alaskan workers and employers.

We found this dedication to mission exemplified by the employees in the department’s Research and Analysis Section who, in their fair and impartial delivery of labor statistics, demographic data, and economic analysis, provide information of critical importance and value to Alaska’s policymakers, job seekers, employers, trade associations, labor organizations and training providers. One need only look at the list of presentations by section staff, such as the recently retired (after 45 years of yeoman service) Neal Fried or Research Chief Dan Robinson, in the course of a year to government agencies, the Legislature, economic development conferences and trade associations to gauge the level of trust which Alaskans place in the work of Research and Analysis.

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