Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives Friday passed a measure which will allow airline employees to trade shifts with each other without invoking overtime pay requirements. House Bill 61 passed 36-1.

"I introduced this legislation to address concerns brought to me by a group of airline employees," said Representative Andrew Halcro (R-Anchorage), sponsor of House Bill 61. "It enjoys the support of virtually the entire commercial airline industry in Alaska, the Alaska Air Carriers Association, and airline employees."

Currently, Alaska is the only western state which requires daily overtime. House Bill 61 will legalize the common practice of shift trading among airline employees, without which the available pool of substitute workers is narrowed and shifts become either difficult or impossible to trade.

"It will allow airline employees to trade shifts so they can attend their children's school activities, attend to family medical emergencies, or just take a long weekend fishing," Halcro said. "Usually, shift trading is done with the tacit approval of employers. HB 61 will provide a mechanism for their employees to do it legally. Without it, employer airlines which allow their employees to trade shifts could be violating the law."

House Bill 61 now moves to the Senate.

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= Andrew Halcro, 58 K