AUSTIN — Texas taxpayers are footing the bill to support welfare programs for thousands of state workers and their children, a union representing the employees said Monday, urging lawmakers to raise wages.

"A lot of these employees would make more money working for the local fast-food chain than they could caring for our most vulnerable populations," said Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin.

More than 6,000 state employees are on food stamps, and some 30,000 of their children qualify for Medicaid or other public health programs, according to data from the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas State Employees Union said.

That costs Texas taxpayers $119 million per year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Exit interviews conducted by the state auditor's office in 2016 found that the largest reason for workers' departure was for better pay and benefits. Turnover has long been a problem for the state, and it hit a 15-year high of 18 percent last year, according to the auditor's office. There was 17 percent turnover statewide in 2016, and some agencies saw more than 25 percent turnover.

"If you don't pay employees what they're worth, they leave," union president Judy Lugo said. "It's amazing the amount of people that have a second job to support their families."

Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, filed a bill Monday that would create a career ladder for state employees who make less than $75,000 annually. The ladder would ensure performance-based pay increases annually.

"We expect them to protect our families, yet they can't expect a living wage or regular raises from the state they so valiantly serve," said Dwight Clark, a spokesman for Menéndez.

Low compensation for employees has been the key problem in an ongoing crisis at the state Department of Family and Protective Services. After news reports showed low pay was leading to staff shortages that were putting children's lives in danger, the Legislative Budget Board approved $150 million in emergency funding to give workers raises. The money gives employees up to $12,000 more a year and allows the agency to hire more than 800 caseworkers.

"What's happening in DFPS is happening in all the state agencies," said Lugo, who was a state employee in Texas for 35 years before retiring. "I think the fact that it was focused on one agency is great, but it needs to be focused on all the agencies in the state."

Workers are asking for a $6,000 pay raise across all agencies this legislative session.

But lawmakers have less money to work with than expected this legislative session, and Republican leaders have said they favor reduced spending to meet the budget shortfall.

Finding the money for employee raises is a matter of priorities, said Rep. Mary González, D-El Paso.

"Are we going to spend $1.3 billion on border security or serving the people that serve Texas?" she asked.