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Pink Slips for More Than 300 Pa. Workers

319 state workers to be out of a job

Monday, Nov 16, 2009 | Updated 4:15 PM EST

Pink Slips for More Than 300 Pa. Workers

Ryan McVay

The Rendell administration announced Monday that the Commonwealth would lay off 319 state workers due to budget problems.

Two departments took the biggest hits. Most of the workers were in the Department of Environmental Protection, where 138 employees would be let go, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, where 85 employees would be laid off, according to Administration Secretary Naomi Wyatt.

The latest layoffs bring the total to 769 jobs lost since the first of the year. That number doesn't include about 60 Treasury Department employees let go in September.

Gov. Ed Rendell expected hundreds of layoffs shortly before Thanksgiving as a result of nearly two percent in pending cuts to the 2009-10 state budget, he said last month. Monday's layoffs were expected to save the state nearly $17 million over the next year.

Pennsylvania's largest state employees' union warned earlier on Monday that there could be more state worker layoffs than expected, said union head David Fillman in advance of the state announcement.