• Matt Sullivan / Reuters

    Union supporter Portia Boulger reacts as she watches a broadcast of the Ohio House debate on Senate Bill 5 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on March 30, 2011. The Republican-dominated Ohio House is considering a bill on Wednesday that would strip about 350,000 public employees of most collective bargaining rights and ban them from striking.

    The Ohio House OKs collective bargaining limits

    AP reports
    COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Republican-led House in the state of Ohio has voted to severely limit the collective bargaining rights of 350,000 public workers, sending a bill that's sparked weeks of pro-labor protests back to the state Senate.

    The full House approved the measure Wednesday on a 53-44 vote.

    A vote in the Republican-controlled Senate could come later Wednesday. That chamber narrowly passed a previous version of it.

    The measure allows unions to negotiate wages but not health care, sick time or pension benefits. It also does away with automatic pay increases in favor of merit raises. Workers also would be banned from striking.

    The Ohio legislation will affect safety workers, teachers, nurses and a host of other government personnel.

    A similar law passed by Republican lawmakers in the state of Wisconsin has prompted large protest rallies.

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  • After 40 hours of exhausting debate, Wisconsin representatives strike a deal

    Scott Olson / Getty Images

    Wisconsin State representatives start to fade as they listen to arguments on one of the expected 200 amendments to Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill in the early morning hours on Feb. 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. Protestors have occupied the capitol building for the past nine days protesting the governor's attempt to push through a bill that would restrict collective bargaining for most government workers.

    Scott Olson / Getty Images

    Wisconsin State representatives start to fade as they listen to arguments on one of the expected 200 amendments to Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill in the early morning hours on Feb. 24.

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    AP reports:

    MADISON, Wis. — Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly have agreed to a deal that will limit further debate on a bill taking away collective bargaining rights for public workers and lead to a vote on the measure later Thursday.

    The deal was announced shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday following an unprecedented 40-hour debate that began Tuesday morning with only short breaks in between.

    Democrats agreed to limit further amendments to just 38 with a 10-minute time limit on each one. If they take the maximum time for each, with no breaks, that would put the vote around noon.

    Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan says democracy is being limited with the agreement and Democrats still plan to strenuously make their arguments over the last hours of debate.