Paterson may try to force furloughs for NY workers

New York Gov. David Paterson says he may force the Legislature to choose between one-day-a-week furloughsfor state workers or a shutdown of state government as tensionsrise over a late budget.

The Democratic governor is proposing the unpaid furloughs forabout 100,000 state workers in a bill this week.

But he says Wednesday that if the Legislature rejects that - asis expected - he may include furloughs in the emergency spendingbill that keeps the state operating when the budget is late.

If furloughs are in the next emergency bill coming up in twoweeks, lawmakers will either have to accept them or reject theentire measure, shutting down state government.

Paterson says furloughs would save the state $30 million a weekas it faces a fiscal crisis.