Will Legislators Reject Pay Hikes For Union Employees

At least for the moment, legislative action on rejecting the 3-percent pay increase for the state's union employees is in the Senate. But the issue is potentially political dynamite and could heat up quickly in the House.

The hike was reflected in the budget recommendation put forward by Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM. That means the 60-day deadline for taking action would be in early April.

Currently there does not appear to be enough committed "yes" votes from Democrats in the GOP-controlled Senate to reach the super-majority 26 votes required to put a pay hike rejection resolution over the top.

But behind-the-scenes stances don't necessarily hold firm when issues are actually brought up for a vote. And in the current political climate voting against a rejection of the pay hike could be a very "bad" vote for most lawmakers