New Jersey lawmakers have pushed through radical cuts to the benefits and wages of public workers over heavy protest. On Thursday, the New Jersey State Assembly approved a massive rollback of benefits for more than 750,000 government workers and retirees. The measure will sharply increase workers’ contributions for health insurance and pensions, raise the age of retirement, freeze cost-of-living increases for pension checks, and restrict unions’ collective bargaining rights. In a scene reminiscent of similar efforts nationwide, thousands of people rallied at the statehouse in Trenton to protest the cuts. Demonstrators carried signs and chanted slogans criticizing Democratic lawmakers for siding with Republican Gov. Chris Christie to ensure the bill’s passage. The state Senate is expected to approve the measure on Monday. Meanwhile in New York, the state’s largest public-employee union has agreed to new cutbacks in a bid to avert mass layoffs. The Civil Service Employees Association and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have reached a deal that includes a three-year wage freeze, an increase to health insurance premiums, and the first furloughs ever for New York state workers.