Layoffs set for friday without sales tax bill
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
By: Susan Phillips
sphillips@whyy.org
Pennsylvania lawmakers seem to be in no hurry to pass legislation that would prevent the city from implementing its so-called "doomsday" budget. If the General Assembly does not OK a city sales tax increase by Friday, layoff notices will go out to thousands of city workers.
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The State House and Senate have passed competing versions of the bill. The Senate wanted to include statewide pension reforms. But pressure from unions prompted the House to remove the pension provisions. Now its back to the Senate. And the city is back to waiting.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter says even if the bill does eventually get passed, just sending out the layoff notices on Friday will have a negative impact.
Nutter: It has an impact on productivity, level of service, everything gets affected just by sending these notices out.
But Republican state Senator Dominic Pileggi says the city is just going to have to wait until the state budget gets resolved. The latest version of the budget faces continuing delays Harrisburg.