Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he's ready to go to court over canceling pay raises for nearly 30,000 state workers.
Quinn defended his decision to deny the raises by blaming the General Assembly for not appropriating the necessary money. He said Tuesday the state can't provide the increase unless lawmakers set aside enough money.
The raises are required under state government's union contracts.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says it will go to court to get the raises. The union rejects the claim that the tight budget approved by legislators allows Quinn to skip the raises.
Quinn says he didn't give advance warning of his plan to cancel the raises because it was obvious the budget made the raises impossible.
