AUSTIN (AP) — Correctional officer Willie King has had feces thrown at him and has seen colleagues abused by the prisoners they oversee.

He is one of some 23,000 Texas prison guards, whose starting pay of $18,000 a year is among the nation's lowest.

King, who works at a state prison near Houston, was among about three dozen correctional employees who began their legislative fight for pay raises and better working conditions at a Monday night candlelight vigil.

They planned to begin lobbying state lawmakers Tuesday.

"If somebody was throwing body waste at you, you'd get tired of it, too," King said. "Or stabbing you or hitting you. There's not much you can do. You have to remain a professional and that's kind of hard."

Guards have been seeking higher pay for years, but the battle has gained increased attention since the Dec. 13 prison break at the Connally Unit. The escape of seven convicts has been blamed in part on a prison guard shortage, which in turn has been attributed to low pay scales.

The convicts, who allegedly killed an Irving police officer, remain on the loose. The reward for their arrest and indictment was raised to $440,000 Monday, when the FBI added $140,000.

The state budget proposals under consideration in the Legislature include $42 million for prison guard pay hikes, as promised last summer. But they do not include any additional money for raises or hiring.

"We don't come with our hats in our hands begging," said Brian Olsen, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. "We come asking for the Legislature and the governor to do the right thing."

Texas prison guards have the 43rd-lowest starting pay in the country, according to the union.

Prison guard pay was to be a focus of a state Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday. Also, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee planned to hold a public hearing to discuss a state report on the recent prison break.