America's best-paying blue-collar jobs

We commonly associate hefty paychecks with briefcases and neckties ? but it turns out there?s plenty of money to be earned by those who sport hard hats and coveralls.

This may be surprising considering the gradual decline of union memberships over the years and the fragile state of America?s workforce, but plenty of talented and skilled blue-collar workers earn six figures doing electrical work, repair jobs and other labor intensive trades.

Forbes combed through data gathered annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the Labor Department, to find some of the highest-paying blue-collar jobs. The BLS culls its information from surveys it mails to businesses, and it releases its Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates data each spring. The figures are for 2011.

Slideshow: See the blue-collar jobs that pay best

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What defines a blue-collar job?" The American Heritage Dictionary" says, ?Of or relating to wage earners, especially as a class, whose jobs are performed in work clothes and often involve manual labor.? We took that definition and excluded work that is largely managerial or supervisory to compile our list of 20 high-paying blue-collar jobs.

Some of the professions on our list require only a high school education, but many call for extensive training and apprenticeships that can last as long as four years. To become an elevator installer or repairer, for example, you must complete a four-year apprenticeship, says John Dalton, a field operations manager for the Stanley Elevator Company. ?It can take up to four and a half years, including final exams, but once you get your license, you?re really qualified to do it all.?

Dalton says elevator installers and repairers are well-rounded trade workers who never stop learning. ?There is always a new set of obstacles, a new set of opportunities, and the equipment is always changing. I?ve been in the business for 16 years, and I?m still learning.?

He says safety training and education is continuous, too, because elevator jobs are dangerous by nature and it?s crucial that workers be reminded of the hazards.

?The risks and rewards of elevation repair and installation go hand-in-hand. Elevators are dangerous. We?re working with live electricity, heavy equipment at extreme heights in some cases. But there are so many rewarding aspects, too,? he says.

So what makes this job better than a traditional desk job?

?It?s fast moving, it?s different every day, and people in the industry care about each other. We?re a tight-knit community, since it?s a generation type of job, and that makes it a great job to be in.?

Dalton explains that elevator repairers and installers are also ?low-key, behind the scenes workers. It?s a job that people really don?t think about or realize exists until the elevator breaks and they have to walk up 20 flights of stairs.?

It may not be high-visibility, but it?s undoubtedly high-paying. Elevator repairers and installers tops the list as having the highest-paying blue-collar job. On average they earn $73,560 annually, or $35.37 an hour. The top 10 percent of them draw in six-figure salaries.

The best-paying state for these workers, who assemble, install, repair or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators or dumbwaiters: Massachusetts.

Dalton?s firm, Stanley Elevator Company, is headquartered in neighboring New Hampshire. ?It?s such a high-paying profession in this area because it?s union-oriented and it?s very organized,? Dalton says. ?The union has been especially strong in the New England area.?

Other jobs on the list include transportation inspectors, who have an average annual salary of $65,770, and boilermakers, who earn $56,650, on average. Electricians, who earn an average of $52,910, also make the tally.

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Mechanisms of Home Plumbing

?

The entire home plumbing process is obstructed for a long time, unless the person follows only some simple conventions. Several sorts of connectors are obtainable in the shops that eradicate the probabilities of leakage and remove the demand for high-temperature propane torches. The residents can refurbish the plumbing problems by applying the right apparatus, be familiar with the procedures and are prepared to do it. There are many instruments used in mounting the hoses and its fixtures that are available in the market which can work well with every kind of tubes and pipes.

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Plumbing is a learned nimbleness, and an often mistake that is made by the dwellers who lack the knowledge of the suitable tools, diverse or pipe for the job. For instance, the cracked tubes should be applied with paste to the frontages, which results in hindering the oxidization immediately the copper is frenzied. You can use a modified acrylic polymer anaerobic in liquid form as it is approved for performing in prolonged areas where fire from a fusing torch might be a risk.

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You can utilize a ?closet auger? in the plumbing procedure that has unyielding beam curved at the right slant to go through the toilet corner. When you face the blockage, the hoses have to be uncontaminated with pertinent cleaners or the suitable tube application glue. Lengthened flexible steel cable that is cut on a coil with a hand oddball can be applied for plumbing. The most common difficulty of plumbing is the blockage of PVC pipes, due to lack of use of pipe cleaner. In such situation of blockage in water drains, you must use a plunger on descends bathtubs, and toilets.

?

In many buildings, the flexible copper is applied for central water lines and one cannot entangle rigid copper due to the fusion on the joints and the tees cooperatively. When a person notices a small leakage from the water pipe line in home plumbing, it should be relevant to keep a piece of white bread, remove the coating, and turn around it into a solid ball, and explode in the cylinder which will help in putting a stop to the saturation. Presently rigid copper, flexible copper, black iron pipe, rigid plastic PVC, CPVC pipe, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PEX (Crosslink Polyethylene), kitec, polybutylene, CSST hoses are used for gas and galvanized steel.?

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Vatican seeks 'reciprocal understanding' with nuns

(AP) ? The Vatican says it's hoping to forge a "reciprocal understanding" with U.S. nuns over its recent crackdown on the largest umbrella group of American sisters.

Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, is to meet Tuesday with the head of the Vatican's doctrine office, American Cardinal William Levada, as well as with the bishop who has been named to oversee a Vatican-mandated overhaul of the group.

The Vatican in April accused the nuns of promoting "certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."

The LCWR says the Vatican inquiry was "flawed" and said Farrell will raise the group's concerns with Levada.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Monday he hoped the meeting would forge a "reciprocal understanding of the reasons" the Vatican made this move.

Associated Press

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Global shares, euro jump as EU aids Spanish banks

LONDON (Reuters) - The uncertain worldwide growth outlook flushed more investors out of riskier assets on Monday, sending shares and commodities down, despite signs that a drive by Europe's leaders to tackle the region's debt crisis was gathering momentum.

The euro slid 0.2 percent to $1.2430, though it was trading well above the $1.2288 it hit on Friday, its lowest level since July 2010, while Brent crude oil fell below $97 a barrel to a 16-month low.

But safe-haven German government bond yields also rose from last week's record lows as some investors looked to take profits on the sharp moves of the past week, with low liquidity due to a UK market holiday exacerbating price swings.

"Investors are just fleeing risk assets," said ATI Asset Management chief investment officer Simon Burge.

The latest sell-off followed disappointing U.S. jobs growth figures on Friday and weak Chinese manufacturing data, which stoked fears that deepening problems in the euro zone are causing a global slowdown in business activity.

Those fears caused sharp falls across Asian markets on Monday, dragging Tokyo's Topix index <.TOPX> to a 28-year low, and followed a fall of more than 2 percent in U.S. stocks on Friday. U.S. stock index futures also pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday <.N>.

The MSCI world equity index <.MIWD00000PUS> was down 0.5 percent at 290.58 points, and is back at levels last reached in December before a wave of coordinated central bank intervention sparked a recovery.

In thin European markets, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares was down 0.1 percent at 953.94 points after hitting a six-month low on Friday, while the blue chip EuroSTOXX 50 <.STOXX50E> was down 0.9 percent at 2,086.62 points.

Investors are waiting to see if policy meetings by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England this week will produce any sign that another wave of easing is likely given the weaker-than-expected economic data.

Figures on Monday showing euro zone factory prices were unexpectedly stable in April from March, the fourth straight month of weakening inflation pressures, offered some hope that ECB could cut rates.

"Everybody is now waiting for what decision the ECB will take on Wednesday and what (U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben) Bernanke will announce on Thursday. There are strong expectations that something will happen, otherwise the market will go much further down," said Francois Duhen, strategist at CM-CIC Securities.

However, the latest Reuters survey of economists' expectations, taken before the latest U.S. jobs data, showed only a third of economists - 27 out of 73 - say the ECB will cut interest rates before the end of the year, and only 11 expect it to move at this week's meeting.

"Without any political or monetary intervention, markets are left in a vacuum," said Stewart Richardson, chief investment officer at RMG Wealth Management.

"The potential for a market capitulation in this period is high, and if we are correct in this view, we fully expect coordinated money printing from the major central banks towards the end of June," he said.

EUROPEAN MASTERPLAN

Europe's leaders are trying to ease market concerns by speaking out about moves to greater fiscal integration before their summit at the end of the month, and before a G20 group of nations meeting on June 18 and 19.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pressing for a central authority to manage euro area finances, and also wants a coordinated approach to reforming labor markets, social security systems and tax policies.

Spain, which is struggling to shore up its banking system, signaled over the weekend that it was on board with a key element of the plan.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for the establishment of a central authority that would oversee and coordinate national budgets in the euro zone.

Spain will provide a big test of investor sentiment this week when it auctions more government debt on Thursday. Its 10-year bond yields have eased to around 6.5 percent, close to the 7 percent level at which other indebted countries have been forced to seek an international bailout.

COMMODITY SELL-OFF

The past week has been another bearish one for commodities as investors fear the slowdown in China coupled with the faltering U.S. recovery will hurt demand.

According to analysis by Standard Chartered Bank, funds that specialize in tracking commodity prices have seen assets under management (AUM) fall $1 billion since the start of the year. However, this was mainly due to price falls. Last week saw outflows of $91 million or 0.6% of AUM.

In price action on Monday Brent crude lost nearly 2 percent to hit a session low of $95.63 a barrel, its lowest since late January 2011.

U.S. crude fell $1.82 to $81.41 a barrel after tumbling as low as $81.32 earlier in the session, its lowest level since last October.

Gold mostly held its ground around $1,615 an ounce after its biggest rally in more than three years on Friday suggested bullion is regaining its safe-haven draw.

(Additional reporting by Anirban Nag and Tricia Wright.; Editing by Will Waterman and Elizabeth Piper)

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Egypt's Mubarak reported in critical condition

Hosni Mubarak is slipping in and out of consciousness eight days after the ousted Egyptian leader was sent to prison to begin serving a life sentence, a security official said on Sunday.

With rumors of the former president's death spreading rapidly, authorities granted his wife, former first lady Suzanne Mubarak, and the couple's two daughters-in-law special permission to visit him in Cairo's Torah prison early that morning.

"The former president's health is in decline, but now it's stable in its deteriorated state," the official said. Since his wife's visit, Mubarak has suffered from an irregular heartbeat and required assistance in breathing.

The official told The Associated Press that the former president now lives only on liquids and yogurt. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

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Mubarak's health is reported to have collapsed since his June 2 conviction for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the uprising that overthrew him in 2011. His life sentence saw him transferred immediately to a prison hospital, instead of the military hospital and other facilities where he had been held since his April 2011 arrest.

Video: Protesters return to Tahrir Square (on this page)

Authorities have turned down several requests by Mubarak's family to transfer the ousted president back to a military facility, the official said.

On Saturday Mubarak's wife was denied access to the Intensive Care Unit where he was placed, as authorities limit family visitations to one a month.

According to security officials quoted by al-Masry al-Youm daily, Mrs. Mubarak lashed out at wardens for not giving her husband permission to seek treatment outside the prison. "You will be responsible for his death," she allegedly said.

Mubarak's two sons Alaa and Gamal are also being held. They were acquitted on June 2 of corruption charges, but still face separate charges of insider trading.

On Saturday, Egypt's state run news agency MENA quoted officials as saying that Mubarak is at risk of stroke, quoting a medical team's report.

Video: Judge hands Mubarak stiff sentence (on this page)

Other media reports said that his lawyer Farid al-Deeb informed him that he will soon be transferred back to a military facility in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

In his last public appearance on June 2, the bedridden Mubarak sat stoned-faced in the courtroom cage. However, officials said that he broke into tears when he learnt that he will be transferred to Torah prison. It took officials hours to convince Mubarak to leave the helicopter that ferried him from the courthouse to the prison.

Media reports quoted Mubarak at the time as saying the military council who took over after his ouster had deceived him. "Egypt has sold me. They want me to die here," he reportedly said.

The verdict sparked a new wave of protests by tens of thousands of Egyptians who allege the verdict was determined by political pressure from the country's military rulers, doing a favor for their former president.

They say the verdict as issued can be easily overturned in an appeal, and that the acquittals of six top security officials mean that killers of the protesters will remain unknown. Many hoped Mubarak or his top officials would be convicted of murder and receive the death penalty.

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Group: Global airline profits thin this year

Wang Changshun, the chairman of Air China speaks at the International Air Transport Association's annual general meeting held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. The IATA announced that Wang has been elected President of the association?s 68th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit, which opened Monday in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Wang Changshun, the chairman of Air China speaks at the International Air Transport Association's annual general meeting held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. The IATA announced that Wang has been elected President of the association?s 68th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit, which opened Monday in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Wang Changshun, the chairman of Air China speaks at the International Air Transport Association's annual general meeting held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. The IATA announced that Wang has been elected president of the association?s 68th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit, which opened Monday in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Airbus officials move a model of the Airbus A380 passenger jet at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 68th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. Squeezed by high oil prices, the world airline industry's profit will be slim this year and could be wiped out if Europe tumbles into recession, the global aviation trade group said Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A visitor receives a gift bag near a model of the Airbus A380 passenger jet at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 68th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. Squeezed by high oil prices, the world airline industry's profit will be slim this year and could be wiped out if Europe tumbles into recession, the global aviation trade group said Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Air China staff members stand near the dragon motif of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 68th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit held in Beijing, China, Monday, June 11, 2012. Squeezed by high oil prices, the world airline industry's profit will be slim this year and could be wiped out if Europe tumbles into recession, the global aviation trade group said Monday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

(AP) ? Squeezed by high oil prices, the world airline industry's profit will be slim this year and could be wiped out if Europe tumbles into recession, the global aviation trade group said Monday.

The International Air Transport Association called for governments to resolve a dispute over European carbon charges on airlines and to avoid tax and regulatory changes it said might hamper industry growth.

Worldwide, airlines should make total profits this year of $3 billion on revenues of $631 billion ? a 0.5 percent margin, the IATA said in an industry outlook released as it opened its annual general meeting in Beijing.

"The industry's profitability is balancing on a knife edge," said the IATA's executive director, Tony Tyler.

The "most immediate risk" is Europe's debt crisis, which could drag down profits if it triggers a recession, Tyler said. He said a 1 percent drop in airline revenue could turn the small forecast global profit into a $3 billion loss.

Asian carriers are forecast to post total profits of $2 billion this year, while U.S. and Middle Eastern airlines also should make money, the IATA said. It said European carriers were expected to post a $1.1 billion loss.

High oil prices are a key reason for weak profits, Tyler said.

The group represents 240 airlines including the world's major carriers.

The latest outlook is based on a forecast that oil prices will average $110 a barrel this year. IATA says fuel accounts for 33 percent of carriers' costs, up from 13-14 percent a decade ago.

The profit forecast represents a decline of more than 50 percent from last year's $7.9 billion. That was down by a similar margin from 2010's $15.8 billion profit.

Also Monday, IATA appealed to governments to head off a mounting conflict over European carbon charges on airlines by negotiating a global system to regulate the industry's emissions of climate-changing gases.

China, the United States, India, Russia and others oppose the European charges, which took effect Jan. 1 and require carriers to buy permits to emit carbon. China and India have prohibited their airlines from cooperating and Beijing has blocked purchases of European aircraft by its carriers, stirring fears of further economic retaliation.

"We strongly oppose this unilateral action," said Wang Changshun, chairman of Air China Ltd., one of China's three main state-owned carriers, at a news conference with Tyler.

Aviation accounts for 3 percent of total carbon emissions but is the fastest-growing source.

Talks on a global system have begun in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Union has said it would be willing to reconsider its system if an agreement is reached.

"It should be a global system," said IATA chairman Peter Hartman, president of Dutch carrier KLM NV, at the news conference.

"We are not opposing (regulation of carbon emissions), but we are opposing that they try to force other continents under their legislation," Hartman said.

The group appealed to governments to repeal taxes such as a new British passenger charge that it said hamper industry growth. It called for action on other issues such as delays in expanding airport capacity in Sydney and India's business capital, Mumbai.

"Aviation should be seen by governments as a source of economic growth, but not as a cash cow," Tyler said. "Using it wisely will deliver benefits throughout the economy."

___

International Air Transport Association: www.iata.org

Associated Press

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Happy birthday to me (and Johnny Depp, too)

By Kurt Schlosser

If you're a big fan of Johnny Depp or Natalie Portman or Michael J. Fox, you might know that they all share a birthday today, June 9. I happen to know this because I share it with them. Yay, me!

Getty Images (2), EPA

Johnny Depp (49), Natalie Portman (31) and Michael J. Fox (51) were all born on June 9.

It's not a big deal to share a birthday with a famous person. There are a lot of us and a few handfuls of them. Someone you know out there is always blowing out candles on the same day as someone you don't know but wish you did.

I did some digging around on June 9 birthdays?for selfish reasons and found out that beyond Depp, Portman and Fox, I've got a big list of invites to make for the greatest party ever.

Looking past dozens of composers and soccer players I've never heard of, the list includes some impressive dead and living souls.

The Russian ruler Peter the Great was born on this date in 1672. He'll probably want to be in charge of the party seating chart. And the menu. And the coat check. And valet.

The bandleader Fred Waring (b. 1900) provided financial backing for the first electric blendor which holds his name to this day. Put that guy behind the bar.

Long before the transit of Venus this past week, German astronomer Johann Galle (b. 1812) was staring into space. He's credited with knowing what Neptune was before anyone else. If he leaves the table, look for him outside.

Colin Archer / AP file

You like rock 'n' roll? You can thank Les Paul for inventing the solid body electric guitar.

The party will need a little music, of course. Let's see what composer Cole Porter (b. 1891), electric guitar god Les Paul (b. 1915) and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy (b. 1978) can come up with. And feel free to ask Bellamy about his kid with Kate Hudson.

Looking for a little deep conversation at the party table? Saddle up next to Robert McNamara (b. 1916) and discuss Vietnam War startegy with the former secretary of defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. But go watch "Fog of War" first, a top-notch documentary for sure.

Comedian Jackie Mason (b. 1936) is probably good for a few jokes. But if you'd rather talk sports, particularly basketball, you'll want to get some Q.T. with Dick Vitale (b. 1939), baby! You'll be a P.T. player by June 10.

Step away from the party and head to the TV room for a break. You'll find Donald Duck (b. 1934) cartoon reruns playing. June 9 is officially recognized as the character's birthday by Disney.

Speaking of cartoons, maybe Abraham Groening (b. 1991) can handle the invites. He's the son of "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.

Depp (b. 1963), Portman (b. 1981) and Fox (b. 1961) will certainly command much of the attention at the party. But it's my party too, so you can talk to Depp only about "Edward Scissorhands." Ask Portman about "Hotel Chevalier." And Michael J. Fox can say whatever he wants about "Back to the Future." As long as he doesn't hand out these.

What famous person or people do you share a birthday with? Let us know over on Facebook.

Related content:

Kurt Schlosser is a senior entertainment editor for TODAY.com. He's younger than Johnny Depp, but not Natalie Portman.

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A suicide bomber dressed in a burqa blew himself up near a French patrol in Afghanistan on Saturday, killing four soldiers and wounding five, one of the deadliest attacks on the French contingent in months, as the Taliban step up a spring offensive. The attack occurred in the mountainous Kapisa province in the east of the??

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RI eyeing liability in Schilling firm bankruptcy

FILE-In this Oct. 25, 2007, file photo, Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling pitches against the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of the baseball World Series at Fenway Park in Boston. Schilling has dabbled in politics, World War II history and raised millions for Lou Gehrig's disease, but it's a gamble on his video game company 38 studios that is in danger of failing and possibly leaving Rhode Island taxpayers with the tab on a $75 million loan guarantee that lured the firm from Massachusetts in 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

FILE-In this Oct. 25, 2007, file photo, Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling pitches against the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of the baseball World Series at Fenway Park in Boston. Schilling has dabbled in politics, World War II history and raised millions for Lou Gehrig's disease, but it's a gamble on his video game company 38 studios that is in danger of failing and possibly leaving Rhode Island taxpayers with the tab on a $75 million loan guarantee that lured the firm from Massachusetts in 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 16, 2012, file photo, former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, center, is followed by members of the media as he departs the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation headquarters, in Providence, R.I. Schilling's troubled video gaming company filed for bankruptcy in Delaware, on Thursday, June 7, 2012.. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ? The state of Rhode Island is working to determine how much it stands to lose in a $75 million loan guarantee deal for former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's video gaming company after its bankruptcy filing this week.

Officials believe that the state will be first in the line of creditors to 38 Studios, and that the company's assets could be worth a substantial amount. But they don't yet know how much taxpayers might have to pay to make good on a guarantee economic development officials once described as being well worth the risk.

Federal and state authorities have launched probes into "all financial transactions" of 38 Studios, the head of the Rhode Island state police said Friday.

Col. Steven O'Donnell said that state police, the state attorney general, the U.S. attorney in Rhode Island and the FBI are investigating, but he didn't elaborate. The U.S. attorney's office confirmed the investigation but would not provide details.

The Providence-based company filed for bankruptcy Thursday in Delaware. It owes $150.7 million and has assets of $21.7 million, according to court filings. In a separate bankruptcy filing, 38 Studios Baltimore, a sister operation, reported owing more than $121.4 million and having assets of more than $335,000.

38 Studios' biggest creditor is Rhode Island, to which it owes $115.9 million in debt from state-backed bonds, interest on the bonds and fees.

Schilling, who also pitched for Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona and won the World Series three times, moved 38 Studios from Massachusetts to Providence in 2010 after the state's economic development agency approved the $75 million loan guarantee. The company was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs and mean millions of dollars in tax revenue.

But now officials are trying to determine the state's liability. Jonathan Savage, an attorney for the economic development agency, said Thursday that the company's assets could have a "substantial" value.

State Revenue Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly also said the state might consider refinancing the 38 Studios bonds to save money. The state has some of the bond sale proceeds set aside in a reserve account to pay interest and fees for about a year.

In the meantime, the state will work to recoup whatever it can during 38 Studios' bankruptcy proceedings, according to Christine Hunsinger, a spokeswoman for Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

"I don't think anybody can question the governor's commitment to protecting the taxpayer's dollar," she said Friday. "You'll see the governor be a very strong champion."

Schilling did not respond to a message left for comment Friday.

The bankruptcy filings show that former 38 Studios employees are also owed millions, and that several whose homes in Massachusetts never sold under a relocation program appear to be on the hook for the mortgages.

38 Studios contracted with MoveTrek Relocation of Massachusetts to manage the relocation program. MoveTrek made mortgage payments on the employees' behalf and offered help selling the homes, according to the filings. But seven of the homes never sold, a list of the employees and properties shows.

Doug Mohns, CEO of MoveTrek, said Friday that his firm continued to make the mortgage payments through June 1, even though 38 Studios was behind in providing the funds.

"We were asked to continue making mortgage payments even though they had not paid invoices for a few months," he said.

MoveTrek believed 38 Studios was owed money from the state, including millions in tax credits it had been seeking.

Mohns said his firm is no longer making the mortgage payments, and that some of 38 Studios' former employees have assumed double payments on homes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

He said there were offers on "two or three" of the properties but that 38 Studios could not pay the real estate commissions and fees; his firm is now trying to salvage some of those sales, he said.

In total, the outstanding amount owed on the mortgages is $1.94 million, while the estimated sales price of the properties is $1.77 million, according to the bankruptcy filings. With commission and fees, 38 Studios estimates its liability to be around $304,000.

38 Studios said in the filings it doesn't own any of the properties but has "certain contractual obligations" to purchase them under the relocation agreement. The filings note that MoveTrek has cited "potential credit and title issues for the participating employees."

MoveTrek is itself owed $223,000, including for mortgage payments already made and the work of suppliers it contracts with to manage the properties.

One former 38 Studios employee listed as having an outstanding mortgage balance on a property in Maynard, Mass., of $508,000 ? and whose home is expected to sell for $415,000 ? declined to comment.

An employee whose mortgage balance on a Marlborough, Mass., property is listed as being $261,000 ? with an expected sales price of $140,000 ? also declined to comment.

Some employees were given a relocation stipend, and arranged moving services on their own. Others used Atlas Van Lines, which was to be paid by 38 Studios.

Atlas is owed more than $116,000, according to the filings, and the moving company has been contacting employees by letter demanding payment.

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Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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