In a massive blow to the Progressive movement the Wisconsin Senate stripped public sector employees of most collective bargaining rights. Instead of waiting for the Democratic Senators to return, they took this measure out of the budget bill. As a standalone bill, it didn’t need a quorum to pass.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber’s missing Democrats.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker’s so-called “budget repair bill” – a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, which spends no money, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved the bill a short time later.

Read the rest: Wis. GOP strips public workers’ bargaining rights

I salute Governor Walker and the Wisconsin Republicans for ending the leaching of the public sector unions. While for the past decade American workers struggled with low or no pay raises and benefit cuts, these workers lived off the hog.

Welcome to the real world Wisconsin state workers!

Update: On our radio show 2 weeks ago, Kirly said Walker should separate the collective bargaining reform from the budget.

Update: Kirly gives credit to Canoe Convoy for the suggestion of separating the collective bargaining reform from the budget bill.