Budget delay unnerves Pa. workers

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.comTimes Leader Staff Writer

and Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.comStaff Writer

John Coyne had saved up for a family vacation in the Poconos this summer. Instead, he will use that money to get through the next three weeks of living expenses. After that, well, he doesn’t want to think about that.

Peggy Fletcher protests Governor Ed Rendell’s budget during her lunch hour outside the Gino Merli Veterans’ Center in Scranton on Tuesday.

s. john wilkin/the times leader

“I go paycheck to paycheck,” said Coyne, a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Gino Merli Veterans’ Center in Scranton. The Duryea man said he’s got an auto loan, rent, bills and regular living expenses like gas and food to worry about. If the state budget impasse that’s dragged on for 15 days continues much longer, Coyne’s story will be played out over and over across Pennsylvania.

On Friday, unless a budget is approved and signed, more than 33,000 state workers will receive only part of their usual paycheck. More than 44,000 additional workers would see even smaller paychecks July 24. Beginning July 31, state workers would receive no pay at all.

But they are continuing to report to work as usual, as state troopers, prison guards, office staffers and road workers.

“We’re the ones caught in the middle again,” Matt Balas, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 13 Local 2334, said to about 70 workers at the White Haven Center, a state-owned and operated residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Foster Township. “We love our jobs and nobody does our work better than us. And even though we’re not getting paid, we’re still here working hard.”

And they’ll continue to while Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature work on a compromise.

State workers are caught in the crossfire while Republicans and Democrats have battle over how to offset a $3.2 billion revenue shortfall.

“I don’t understand how they expect people to live without paychecks,” asked Patti Ziminskas, the president of AFSCME Local 2333, which represents employees at the Merli Veterans’ Center. She and two dozen other workers used their lunch break to hold an informational picket at the corner of Mulberry Street and Penn Avenue in Scranton. Hundreds of similar rallies took place across the state Tuesday.

Once the budget stalemate is settled the workers will receive their pay retroactively. But that won’t help with bills that are due now, as some signs creatively depicted.

“My mortgage is not retroactive” read one. “Inmates get paid, why not us?” read another.

Jessica Quijano, a residential aide at the White Haven Center, brought along her daughter, Madison, who stood in front of the picket line sporting signs on her chest and back stating, “My mommy works here but can’t buy me new shoes,” and, “No pay for mommy, no play for me.”

Asked if she was worried, the 10-year-old nodded. “I might lose my house or I might not be able to eat,” she said.

A single parent who said she lives paycheck-to-paycheck, Quijano, of White Haven, told her daughter, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get by.”

But if lawmakers don’t pass the budget anytime soon, Quijano said she will “probably have to get a second job in the evening and get somebody to watch” her daughter and her ailing mother, who also lives with her.

“I just hope they can come to some type of agreement. I’m sure there are people worse off than I am. It’s not fair to them or the children,” Quijano said.

State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, said she and nearly all Republicans and some Democrats are opposed to any tax increases, something Rendell has proposed to offset the shortfall. She said legislators are well aware of the plight of state workers.

“The state budget must be resolved quickly. Too many state workers are counting on their paychecks for survival. State employees and students should not be pawns in the budget negotiations.”

But they are affected every day and with bills coming due, there is a deep concern.

“We have to pay our mortgages, our car payments, our gas and utilities and our child care expenses just so we can come to work. How can we come to work when we can’t pay for child care and gas? Does the governor and legislature care if our utilities are shut off? Or if our credit scores are ruined?” Balas said.

“No!” the union members from White Haven shouted in response.

Though some lending institutions have offered no or low-interest loans, not all state workers qualify and for those that do, the maximum amount is only enough to get them through a week or two.

Ziminskas, Coyne and local 2333 union shop steward Brenda Gavin of Greenfield Township all pinned the blame on the Legislature and noted that other pickets were held in front of local district offices of state Sens. Bob Mellow, D-Peckville and Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township and state Rep. Jim Wansacz, D-Old Forge.

“Rendell had a budget to them in February and they went on vacation in March and April. They’ve wasted so much time. Now I don’t think any of them want to work together. They’re being spiteful,” Gavin said.

Mellow, in an e-mailed statement, said he had compassion for state workers and feels for them.

“I think it is reprehensible people aren’t getting paid, when they will be expected to continue paying their mortgages and other bills. When we first started discussing the budget back in February, I said I didn’t want to end up here. If you work for a living, you expect to be paid.”

But “here” is where plenty of people are, including Bruce Peabody.

The 50-year-old from Hazleton, has been a maintenance worker at the White Haven Center for half his life. He doesn’t think it’s fair for employees to have to take out loans to pay their bills, and he thinks Rendell and legislators should spend more time negotiating.

“I don’t think 17 minutes and 20 minutes in a meeting is adequate. I think they should sit down for hours and days until they get it settled,” Peabody said.

Jamie Grubb, a maintenance worker who transferred to the White Haven Center from the Scranton State School for the Deaf a couple weeks ago, said his 110-mile round trip commute between work and his home in Dickson City alone costs him $60 a week for gasoline.

“I’ve got to cut back on everything. Luckily, I’m a pay period ahead, and hopefully they’ll resolve this soon. If not, I’ll have to take out a loan to pay my mortgage. And if I’m not working, I can’t pay child support, so my kids suffer too,” said the 50-year-old father of two.

Cindy McKenney, a 50-year-old aide at the White Haven Center who lives in White Haven, doesn’t know if she’ll be able to pay her daughter’s college tuition.

“Actually, my children might have to pay my bills with their part-time jobs, and that’s sad,” said McKenney, who held a sign stating “Already working. Need food!”