319 state workers in Pennsylvania laid off
The Rendell Administration says 319 state employees will lose their jobs due to budget cuts.
The Rendell Administration says 319 state employees will lose their jobs due to budget cuts.
Listen:
[audio: 091116sdcuts.mp3]
The Department of Environmental Protection is the hardest-hit agency. The layoffs, which are technically called furloughs, will eliminate 138 jobs.
85 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission jobs will be cut, and the P.H.M.C. will also eliminate services at several sites, including Washington Crossing Historic Park.
Administration Secretary Naomi Wyatt says affected employees will be notified over the coming week.
Wyatt: For the foreseeable future those jobs are gone for good. They’re not budgeted into agencies’ budgets for the rest of this year. And agencies are working on their budgets for the following year and aren’t going to be building those in.
The workers’ last day on the job will be Friday, November 20. Wyatt says they’ll be paid through Friday, December 4th.
29 Public Welfare, 17 Military and Veterans Affairs and 24 executive office employees will be furloughed, as well, with other cuts in five additional departments.
This brings the total number of state workers laid off this year to 769.
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