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| State Workers Rally at Statehouse |
 (Columbia-AP) -- Nearly 500 state workers, retirees and educators headed to the Statehouse today to tell legislators they need better pay and protection from higher insurance rates and
reduced benefits.
Most of them wore red Coalition of Public Employees stickers. That's a new group formed of retirees, state workers and educators that brings the lobbying power of more than $370,000 people to
bear on issues.
Transportation Department worker Duncan Lett says its hard to keep paying bills when workers have had no pay increases in two years but have had to pay more for insurance.
Retirees say they need more money to make up for higher health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses during the past three years.
The House Ways and Means Committee agreed to give all state workers a two percent raise. The workers say they need a five percent raise to recover from inflation and higher health insurance
premiums and increases in out-of-pocket expenses. |
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