LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers acted illegally when they agreed to take 3 percent from the pay of government employees and earmark it for retirees' health care, the state appeals court said Friday.

The court said lawmakers in 2010 simply were trying to fill a budget hole when they couldn't muster enough votes to kill 3 percent raises for state employees.

A three-judge panel said the move violated the Michigan Constitution and trampled the work of the Civil Service Commission, which had approved the raises in contracts with union-covered employees.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.