TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – The Florida Supreme Court voted Thursday to uphold a law requiring public employees to contribute three percent of their income to the state’s pension plan.

The court voted 4-3 in favor of reversing a trial judge’s ruling that stated the law violated the collective bargaining and contract rights of roughly 600,000 state employees including teachers, state, and county employees and some city workers.

The ruling serves as vindication for the law pushed by the GOP-led legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. The law helped fill a $2 billion budget gap state and local governments that would have had to replace funds contributed by employees since the law went into effect in 2011.

The Florida Education Association and other public unions challenged the law.

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