MADISON, Wis. -- As the United States watched the standoff over union rights unfold in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers in the state brought the matter to an abrupt close Thursday, preparing to strip virtually all collective bargaining rights from public workers. Opponents called the decision one of the most powerful blows to unions in years. Governor Scott Walker praised the Budget Repair Bill as a boon to both the state and its many businesses.

In order to pass the bill, Senate Republicans outmaneuvered their absent Democratic peers by invoking a rare procedural tactic that removed all spending measures from the collective bargaining legislation, and allowed them to proceed with the vote alone.