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Wisconsin State Assembly Votes To Restrict Union Rights, But Showdown Not Over

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Escorted by law enforcement officers, Assembly Republicans exit the state Capitol after cutting off debate and rapidly voting to pass a controversial budget repair bill in the state Assembly in Madison, Wis. (AP)
Escorted by law enforcement officers, Assembly Republicans exit the state Capitol after cutting off debate and rapidly voting to pass a controversial budget repair bill in the state Assembly in Madison, Wis. (AP)

In an early morning vote that caught Democrats flat-footed, Republicans in the Wisconsin State Assembly voted to restrict collective bargaining by public sector unions, but no vote can happen in the state senate until Democrats in that chamber agree to come back from Illinois where they've fled to prevent a quorum.  The battle over union rights is playing out in Indiana, Ohio and several other states.  We speak with Steve Greenhouse, labor and workplace reporter for the New York Times and author of "The Big Squeeze, Tough Times for the American Worker."

We speak with Steve Greenhouse, labor and workplace reporter for the New York Times.

This segment aired on February 25, 2011.

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