Alaska - Jury Duty Employer Obligations

In Alaska, employers are required to provide you with unpaid time off for reporting to jury selection or jury duty. You may have to show your employer your jury summons in order to be given the necessary leave.

Your employer can never punish you for missing work to attend jury duty. However, if missing work would cause your employer undue hardship, it may be considered as an acceptable jury duty excuse.

In the state of Alaska, employers have the ability to offer their employees paid or unpaid leave as they choose. It is, however, it is illegal to apply unpaid leave in the following situations: when an employee has unused personal leave, annual leave, sick leave, compensatory leave, or donated leave. Exceptions to this policy have occurred. Unpaid leave, also known as leave-without-pay, may also affect employee benefits.

You will receive a nominal jury duty payment from the State of Alaska for each day you serve on a jury, as well as potential reimbursements for travel expenses. However, jury duty pay tends to be a token amount rather than actual compensation.

In Alaska, no employee may be threatened or disciplined by their employer with discharge, intimidation, or coercion as a result of their duties as a juror.

You should be sure to show your employer your Alaska jury duty summons letter when you receive it, and update them with your jury duty dates if you are assigned to a trial, to ensure that you receive your mandatory time off.

If an Alaskan employer should fire or otherwise penalize an employee as a result of the employee's jury service, the employer would be subject to certain penalties. They would liable for any lost wages and damages caused by their actions, and may be required to reinstate a fired employee.

If you have been punished for missing work due to jury duty, contact the joror office of the court that summoned you, and they will assist in ensuring that your rights are protected.