Jobs On Workers' Minds During Labor Day Gathering

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -– Even as nearly 1,000 union workers and their families gathered at Land Park to celebrate the Labor Day holiday on Monday, many are worried about the economy and losing their jobs.

"It's constantly on my mind," said Michelle Butler, who works for the state as a tax complaint representative. "Even though I have 10 years in, I could fall into that part where I could lose my job."

Butler said her workload's never been higher and her paycheck has taken a hit.

"They look at state workers as we don't do anything, but we work hard, we put up with a lot of crap," she said. "My mother's on Social Security, my son's in college, so I fear for my job."

It's about to get worse for some. Some 3.300 state workers recently got layoff notices, more than 2,000 of them right here in Sacramento.

Gov. Jerry Brown attended the picnic and rallied the crowd with his speech bashing national political leaders.

"They're pretty confused in Washington," he told the crowd. "They think the less they do, the better off we'll be."

Asked about comments last week from the CEO of one of the largest employers in the region, Folsom-based Waste Connections, that his company may have to leave California because of all the bureaucratic regulations, Brown said he's working to keep businesses.

"If anybody's thinking about leaving, they should call the governor," he said. ""I'm back to work tomorrow and every day."