Moore v. State, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

OPINION

ALEXANDER 0. BRYNER, Justice,

pro tern.

This appeal calls upon us to decide whether the merit principle of employment embodied in article XII, section 6 of the Alaska Constitution forbids state agencies from seeking to reduce public spending by “privatizing” state jobs — that is, by eliminating positions on the state workforce in favor of lower cost private contracts for the same services.

I. BACKGROUND

The facts are not disputed. The State of Alaska, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT), owns and operates 219 rural airports, including the Tanana Airport. The Tanana…