Nation IN BRIEF : CONNECTICUT : 8,000 State Workers May Get Pink Slips

As many as 8,000 Connecticut state employees--about 20% of the work force--could be laid off starting this week after negotiations with unions on a multimillion-dollar concession package soured. Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. ordered the pink slips that could save $84 million and keep the state’s recently adopted budget in balance. Labor unions agreed to more than $320 million in wage and other concessions several months ago in exchange for a budget that included an income tax. But that agreement became void with the Legislature’s failure to adopt a budget by July 1, the start of the state’s fiscal year. Once the General Assembly finally adopted a budget that included an income tax on Aug. 22, talks resumed. Optimism that new concessions could be reached has given way to a gloomier outlook. If an agreement with the unions is not reached, the first of several waves of pink slips will be delivered Thursday.