NC state employees rally against unpaid furloughs

RALEIGH — North Carolina state employees say mandatory furloughs over the next two years would hurt their families and leave too few workers to meet increasing demands for government services.

More than 100 members of the State Employees Association of North Carolina held a protest in the rain Tuesday in Raleigh. The union is worried about legislation that would authorize the
governor to furlough state workers for up to 20 days a year.

Gov. Beverly Perdue last week ordered a small pay cut for state employees in exchange for 10 hours of unpaid leave to help narrow a $3 billion budget shortfall this year.

Earlier Tuesday, Perdue declined to say whether she would accept proposed legislation that would include mandatory furloughs.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)