HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Chanting "do your jobs" and "we want paid," hundreds of state employees whose paychecks are disappearing sent a message to Gov. Ed Rendell and state legislators on Tuesday.
The state's largest labor unions organized a raucous rally at the Capitol, where thousands of workers who had been bused to Harrisburg from across the state demanded action on Pennsylvania's budget impasse.
"We shouldn't be pawns in this political game. These guys need money. We need money. We have bills to pay," Sara Dudash said.
Many of the protesters said they took vacation time or worked an extra day to be able to attend.
"We don't want handouts. We don't want loans that will cost us more. We want our paychecks, which we earn every day," Cheryl Fulton said.
State government is in its fifth week without an approved budget, and Rendell said a state court decision last year prevents him from paying employees until a new budget is passed.
Rendell has indicated he will support a temporary budget that would allow employees to be paid while the larger battle continues. Workers will collect their missed pay after a permanent budget is signed.
There were no major budget developments on Tuesday, but a six-member conference committee was formed to try to work on a deal.
The panel includes Republicans Jake Corman and Dominic Pileggi and Democrat Jay Costa from the Senate, and Democrats Dwight Evans and Todd Eachus and Republican Sam Smith from the House.
More than 20 banks and credit unions have agreed to help state employees who may soon have payless paydays by giving them low-interest loans or lines of credit.
A complete list of all help that's available to state employees during the budget impasse is posted at
www.oa.state.pa.us.
Related Link: Frequently Asked Questions About The Budget Impasse
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