Looking to shave shortfalls in the state budget, House Republicans are calling on 52,000 state employees to take a 5 percent pay cut as well as asking for a 5 percent cut to state departments.

The state government is spending $5 million more each business day than is being collected in tax revenue, according to GOP leaders. 

The plan could meet some resistance, however, as many state employees are union members, which will necessitate negotiations with Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration. The governor, who has called for unspecified state employee concessions in the next budget year, did not seem receptive to cutting their pay 5 percent this fiscal year or next, according to The Associated Press (AP).

“State employees have made concessions. They’re taking home less this year than last,” Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd told the AP. “They’re paying more for their health care.”

(Chris Killian is a freelance journalist based in Kalamazoo and writes regularly for the Kalamazoo Gazette.)