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 Opponents call the draft law a thinly disguised assault on
organized labor that will drive down wages, and security staff had
to clear the Assembly gallery on Thursday after protesters
temporarily halted the debate with chants.
Walker, a presidential hopeful, is expected to sign the so-called
right-to-work bill on Monday if it gets to his desk after the
marathon debate, which could end up lasting 24 hours.
Wisconsin would be the 25th state to enact such a law and Walker's
history of pushing back against union rights has bolstered his
credentials as an early favorite in the battle for the Republican
nomination in the 2016 presidential election.
The state Senate approved the text last week, and the Assembly,
where Republicans hold a 63-36 majority, is expected to follow suit.
Supporters cast the measure as an incentive for attracting
businesses and jobs, saying it is wrong to allow unions to force
workers to pay dues if they don't want to.
 "This is about freedom ... it's time for right-to-work in
Wisconsin," said Republican Representative Dean Knudson.
Opponents say the law will leave workers vulnerable, arguing that
so-called collective bargaining, where unions negotiate on behalf of
all their members, helps maintain better pay and conditions.
"I rise today to stand with labor, the mighty force that built this
state," Democrat Rep. JoCasta Zamaripa said.
Tired lawmakers rubbed their eyes as coffee cups and soda bottles
gathered on their Assembly floor desks, as the Democrats elongated
the debate with winding speeches about the history of organized
labor in Wisconsin and the state's economy.
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Three hundred demonstrators opposed to the bill rallied outside the
capitol on Thursday and dozens of demonstrators who tried to get
onto the Assembly floor were blocked by capitol security officers.
Two people were arrested, police said.
Thousands of workers demonstrated last week when senators debated
the bill, but capitol crowds have been far thinner than four years
ago, when tens of thousands of people protested a push for a law
limiting the powers of public sector unions.
Walker's push for the 2011 bill covering public-sector workers
raised his profile among Republicans, and his support grew when he
survived a union-backed recall election in 2012.
About 8 percent of private-sector workers in Wisconsin are union
members, down from about 22 percent three decades ago, according to
Unionstats.com, a website that tracks U.S. union membership.
"The law is a symbol of the weakness of unions," University of
Wisconsin-Madison political scientist John Ahlquist said.
(Editing by Crispian Balmer)
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