A contentious bill raising pension and health benefits costs for more than a half-million New Jersey government workers goes back to the state Senate one more time on Monday for a formality vote.

The New Jersey Assembly passed landmark legislation Thursday that requires public employees to pay more for pension and health benefits.

The debate over public employee pension and health benefits legislation wound up taking so much time that the New Jersey Legislature is under the gun to approve a state budget in nine days.

The move to stabilize New Jersey's underfunded pension and health care systems by requiring public workers to pay sharply more for the benefits while suspending bargaining over health care was fast-tracked through the Legislature Monday, after Democrats joined with Republicans to buck the powerful public employee unions.

Bucking the state's powerful public employee unions, the New Jersey Senate on Monday passed a bill requiring sharply higher contributions for health benefits and pensions from more than a half-million government workers, while suspending unions' ability to bargain over health care.

New Jersey legislation requiring public workers to shoulder a larger portion of their pension and health benefits costs and restricting collective bargaining over health care picked up steam this week.

Union members are gathering in New Jersey's capital city Thursday to rally for collective bargaining.

The leader of the New Jersey Assembly has agreed to post a bill requiring all public workers to pay more for health care and pension benefits for a hearing, despite an initial reluctance to move the measure forward without a majority of Democrats backing it.