In a much protested-against move, the Civil Service Commission's Wednesday meeting saw the little-known commission granting Gov. Jon S. Corzine and hundreds of local governments the power to force the workers to take unpaid furloughs.

Citing "imminent peril" - or harsh economic conditions - that the state is supposed to be facing, the commission has adopted the emergency rule allowing impermanent layoffs. In addition, the commission also embarked on an extended process that could allow the leaders to continue with their powers to use furloughs till June 2010.

Hailing the commission's move, Corzine said in a statement: "In the midst of this national economic crisis, we are faced with tough choices about how to balance the state budget. It is essential that we do what is right for all New Jerseyans. The right thing to do is to avoid putting thousands of people onto the unemployment rolls but instead keeping them on the job, even if it means mandatory, unpaid time off."

Meanwhile, the nearly 500 Communications Workers of America and other union employees staged protests against the proposed unpaid furloughs move by the commission. Calling the proposal a "sneak attack" on the workers' rights, NJ area director Hetty Rosenstein added: "Our members are not going to stand for this. Nobody is going to let someone come in, in secret, and take away people's rights."