ALIQUIPPA, Pa. -- Employees of the defunct Commonwealth Medical Center in Aliquippa are angry that they will not receive their last paychecks, but management will.

A Christmas tree left behind in the hospital lobby reminded some 200 employees of how tough the holiday season was after they didn't get their last paycheck before Christmas, WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Shannon Perrine said.

Some of the workers went unpaid for a month's worth of work. The union that represents the workers held a closed-door meeting Monday night.

"People depended on that last pay, you know? They worked, they put their time in. That money, they had it set for bills and whatever else, mortgage payments," said Paula Placidi, an employee.

The owners of the hospital filed for bankruptcy in early December, and the state ordered them to stop taking in new patients shortly after that.

A union representative said their lender, the Bridge Finance Group, worked out a deal in bankruptcy court to pay management their final paychecks, but not the union rank and file.

Last week, the bankruptcy judge agreed to that plan.

"We're going to fight very hard and we're very hopeful. The union has filed an objection in bankruptcy court to this agreement," said Neil Bisno, of Service Employees International Union Healthcare.

"The last pay we received, as well as everyone else, was the 28th of November. We were scheduled to be paid on the 12th of December and that didn't come through. Then, we heard we were going to get paid on the 15th of December. That never came through," said Steve Batchelor, a registered nurse.

A sign on the front door of the hospital read, "The emergency services are temporarily unavailable, but there are no plans to reopen this hospital any time soon."