Wisconsin Assembly sends right-to-work bill to Gov. Walker

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin lawmakers voted Friday to make their state the 25th to enact right-to-work legislation, pushing a fast-tracked bill through the Assembly after an overnight debate and sending it on to Gov. Scott Walker for his promised signature.

The Republican governor, a likely 2016 presidential candidate who rose to national prominence by taking on public-sector unions four years ago, plans to sign it Monday. Walker planned to be in Iowa for an agriculture summit Saturday that's attracting other likely Republican presidential candidates.

The Assembly passed the bill 62-35 after a marathon session that included about 20 hours of debate. It was a straight party-line vote, with no Democrats backing the measure.

"Today is the day we have solidified the regressive era in Wisconsin," Democratic Rep. Terese Berceau, of Madison, said minutes before the vote.

The vote came after Walker said in September, during his re-election campaign, that right-to-work was not a priority and wouldn't come up this session. Walker called it a distraction and feared that protests would grow as large as those in 2011 when he effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. Legislative leaders, including Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, also said right-to-work would not be debated.

Read Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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