A union representing state workers is running a new television ad that urges lawmakers to raise taxes on the wealthiest citizens.

The 30-second spot paid for by SEIU 1199 New England will begin airing Friday. It comes as lawmakers are working against the clock to craft a state budget before the end of the fiscal year ends on June 30.

The ad, which was produced by Connecticut-based Metro Square Media, features a series of state workers speaking directly to the camera.

"I am not a billionaire,'' one worker says.

"I don't have a diversified portfolio," said another.

"But this state belongs to all of us,'' another worker states.

The ad urges lawmakers to raise the capitol gains tax "so billionaire hedge fund managers stop paying a lower percentage than middle class workers."

“Any strong state starts with a strong middle class,'' said SEIU spokesperson Jennifer Schneider. "Legislators need to stop having a budget that hurts the middle class and favors billionaires and corporations. If you can ask middle class workers to sacrifice billions of dollars than you can ask the same of corporations and billionaires. Anything short of that is just a rigged economy in favor of the wealthy and powerful.”

Shirley Harpool of Ansonia, one of the workers featured in the ad, said state lawmakers need to start focusing on the majority of their constituents, not just the wealthy and powerful.

"As a Republican I feel legislators have lost their way,'' she said. "They need to be asking the same of billionaires and corporations as they do of middle class workers. Pretty soon all that will be left in Connecticut will be a handful of billionaires because legislators have created a state that doesn’t work for anyone else."

Despite pleas from the leaders of public employee unions for higher taxes on the wealthy, state leaders have said that large-scale tax increases are unlikely this year.