MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Wisconsin Republicans seeking to curb the power of public sector unions tried on Friday to pressure absent Democrats to return home and vote on a plan that has sparked labor protests across the country.

Fresh from a first round victory overnight, when the state Assembly passed the union bill along party lines, Republicans turned to trying to break a Democratic boycott of the Senate.

Undaunted by the setback in the Assembly, U.S. labor groups planned for large demonstrations in Madison and in every state capital in the nation on Saturday to fight the proposal they see as trying to break the union movement.

What began two weeks ago as Republicans in one relatively small U.S. state trying to balance the budget by rewriting local labor relations rules has turned into a major national confrontation between the GOP and business interests on one side, and the Democrats backed by union groups on the other.

If Republicans prevail in Wisconsin, a number of other states governed by conservative majorities could follow and deal a serious blow to union power in the United States.

The stakes are high for labor because more than a third of public employees such as teachers, police and civil service workers belong to unions while only about six percent of private sector workers are unionized.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, champion of the union restrictions, traveled on Friday to the home districts of three of the Democrats who have boycotted the Senate, to pressure them to come back and vote on the measure.

"Democrats need to come home and do their jobs, just like the Assembly Democrats did," Walker said in a statement.

The conservative Club for Growth began airing ads in the districts of the Democrats accusing them of playing "Russian roulette" with the jobs of thousands of Wisconsin workers.

Republicans hold a 19-14 Senate majority but need a quorum of 20 to vote on spending bills. All the Democrats left the state for Illinois last Thursday because they feared they could be compelled to attend the Senate if they remained.

Wisconsin Republicans sent police earlier this week in an unsuccessful search for the runaways, but admit they lack the legal authority to force the Democrats back.

The stalemate also meant Walker missed a self-imposed Friday deadline for bill approval so Wisconsin could proceed to restructure its debt to help eliminate a budget deficit. The state needed new authority in the proposed law in order to move ahead.

Wisconsin will not be able to go to the bond market on Monday as scheduled to price that debt, Frank Hoadley, Wisconsin's capital finance director, told Reuters on Friday.

Walker has also threatened to send layoff notices to many workers in state agencies if the stalemate continues.

In a procedural maneuver, Republicans on Friday convened the Senate without the Democrats and moved the controversial union restrictions proposal to the point where it could be voted on quickly without amendment should any of the Democrats return.

One of the missing Democrats sounded defiant in an interview on Friday.

"Until we are able to engage in a real debate, until we're able to throw this bill out and actually move forward with a budget repair bill and move forward with the real business of Wisconsin, we can't come back," state Senator Chris Larson said on the nationally broadcast "Democracy Now" news program.

The Wisconsin changes sought by Walker would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.

Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation.

A public opinion poll of Wisconsin voters published on Thursday showed that, like much of the nation, they are divided on the fundamental issue of union rights.

Asked about the proposal for the public sector workers to contribute more toward health insurance and pensions, 71 percent said that was fair. But 56 percent said the public employee unions should have collective bargaining powers.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mayers; Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Jerry Norton)

TRENTON, New Jersey (Reuters) – Thousands turned out in New Jersey's state capital despite heavy rain on Friday to show support for Wisconsin public worker unions fighting to preserve collective bargaining rights.

Wisconsin's Republican governor, Scott Walker, has proposed rolling back those rights as part of a package of measures aimed at reducing projected state budget deficits,

Walker's move has sparked weeks of protests in Wisconsin and rallies nationwide like the one in Trenton.

"What happens in Wisconsin affects every man, woman and child in America. Nothing less than the fate of our middle class is at stake," AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told the demonstrators, many of them huddled beneath umbrellas against the downpour.

"Here is the key, something that every governor and state legislator from New Jersey to Arizona, from Florida to Alaska, needs to understand. They were not elected to dictate," the national union chief said. "They were elected to solve problems, not create conflicts."

Union leaders and other critics accuse Walker and fellow Republican governors and legislators pushing similar measures elsewhere of trying to ram through anti-labor proposals without due deliberation, and of using budget-cutting imperatives as a pretense for curbing hard-won union rights.

Describing the "Save the American Dream" rally outside the New Jersey State House as emotionally moving, Communications Workers of America member Jake Lake said, "There's a war going on with the middle class."

Signs carried by the demonstrators -- who appeared to number well over 2,000 -- bore such slogans as "We are one," "Stop Union Busting" and "I support Wisconsin workers."

Some also targeted New Jersey's own GOP governor, Chris Christie, who in his efforts to reduce spending has tangled with public employee unions in the Garden State.

"What happens in Wisconsin could happen here," Harry Harchetts, the business manager for a New Jersey painters and allied trades union council, told Reuters.

(Writing by Jerry Norton; Editing by Steve Gorman)

LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) – A 20-year-old Saudi student accused in a bomb plot that may have targeted former President George W. Bush will plead not guilty to terrorism charges, his attorney said on Friday.

Khalid Aldawsari made an initial appearance at a federal courthouse in Lubbock after being arrested by FBI agents on Wednesday on terrorism charges involving the purchase of bomb ingredients.

Aldawsari did not enter an official plea at the appearance, which he attended with arms and legs shackled and wearing a blue jail uniform. Aldawsari will be asked to enter an official plea at a detention hearing now set for March 11.

His attorney, Rod Hobson, said he will enter a "not guilty" plea. "As an accused person, Mr. Aldawsari is presumed innocent," Hobson said in a statement distributed to reporters after the hearing.

Aldawsari's potential targets included nuclear power plants and hydroelectric dams in the West, as well as Bush's Dallas home, U.S. investigators said in court documents, citing emails they obtained.

(Reporting by Elliott Blackburn; Editing by Vicki Allen)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – The Wisconsin state Assembly on Friday passed a Republican plan to curb public sector union power over the fierce objections of protesters, setting the stage for a showdown with Senate Democrats who fled the state last week to prevent a vote in that chamber.

After two all-night debating sessions and an eleventh hour Democratic bid for a compromise, the Republican-dominated Assembly abruptly ended debate early Friday and approved the bill by a vote of 51 to 17.

The outcome of the vote was greeted by chants of "it's not over yet" and "we are here to stay" from the hundreds of protesters who have converged on Wisconsin to fight a proposal they fear could encourage similar measures in other states and cripple the American labor movement.

More than 50,000 demonstrators poured into the state capital of Madison over the weekend to protest against the plan. Hundreds continued to protest inside the Capitol on Thursday, turning the building into an indoor campground.

"This is not democracy!" chanted protesters massed just down the hall from the Assembly chamber before the final vote.

The protesters shouted "thank you, thank you" at Democratic Assembly members as they emerged after the vote.

Newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who has said the measure is critical to restoring Wisconsin's financial health, hailed the approval in the lower house of the state legislature.

Approval in the Assembly was delayed by Democratic amendments but never in doubt. But passage will not ease the Senate standoff over a plan that has generated widespread protests among Wisconsin teachers and other union members.

Republicans hold a 19-14 Senate majority but need a quorum of 20 to vote on spending bills. All the Democrats left the state for Illinois last Thursday because they feared they could be compelled to attend the Senate if they remained.

Wisconsin Republicans earlier sent police on Thursday on an unsuccessful search for the runaways. State patrol officers were dispatched to the Democrats' homes on suspicion that some have been sleeping in their own beds at night.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he had hoped the Democrats could be convinced to return, although he acknowledged the officers cannot arrest them.

"It's a gesture that shows we're still serious and a call of the house should be honored," Fitzgerald told the website Wispolitics.com.

Walker has set a deadline of Friday for approval of the measure to give the state time to refinance bonds and make a payment on state debt that is due by March 15. He says the bill is necessary to close a budget deficit of $137 million for this fiscal year and $3.6 billion in the next two years.

OTHER STATES CONSIDER UNION CURBS

Democratic lawmakers and unionized public employees said the Walker plan is an attempt to bust the unions and choke off funding to organized labor, the largest source of funding to the Democratic Party.

If Republicans prevail in Wisconsin, other states could be inspired to take on powerful public unions. Wisconsin-inspired curbs on union rights have been debated in the legislatures of other states including Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kansas.

In Indiana, Democrats boycotting the state legislature appeared to score a victory on Wednesday when a "right to work" law that would restrict unions was put aside until next year.

But Republicans proposed a rule change to extend a reading deadline on the bills from this Friday until next Friday, March 4, to keep the bills alive, said John Schorg, media relations director for the Indiana house Democrats.

U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.

The Wisconsin changes sought by Walker would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.

Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation.

(Reporting by James Kelleher and Jeff Mayers. Editing by John Whitesides and David Bailey)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A 20-year-old Saudi student has been arrested in Texas in a bomb plot that may have targeted former President George W. Bush and nuclear plants, U.S. authorities said on Thursday.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, who was admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa and was attending college in Lubbock, Texas, was arrested on Wednesday by FBI agents, the Justice Department said.

He was accused of terrorism charges involving the purchase of chemicals and equipment to make a bomb, with potential targets that included nuclear power plants. One of his e-mails included the Dallas address of Bush. Another cited three former U.S. military members who had been stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison, where Iraqis faced abuses by their American jailers.

Department officials said there was no evidence the suspect was part of a militant group and he apparently had been acting alone. U.S. officials have been concerned about individuals acting alone to commit attacks in the United States.

U.S. officials said Aldawsari described his desire for violent jihad and martyrdom in blog postings and in a personal journal that listed tasks to do such as obtaining fake U.S. documents and renting several cars to hide bombs in them.

Aldawsari also sent himself an e-mail titled "Tyrant's House," in which he listed the Dallas address for Bush, who moved there after leaving office in 2009. Apart from publishing his memoirs, the former president has largely stayed out of the limelight.

The FBI received a report on February 1 from a chemical supplier about an attempt by Aldawsari to buy concentrated phenol, which has legitimate uses but can also can be used to make the explosive trinitrophenol, known as picric acid.

The shipment was sent to a freight company but the firm returned it to the supplier and called the police, the Justice Department said. Aldawsari told the supplier he was connected to a university and was doing "off-campus, personal research."

SUSPECTS FACES UP TO LIFE IN PRISON

If convicted, Aldawsari faces up to life in prison. He is due to make an initial appearance in court on Friday in Texas.

U.S. officials said Aldawsari has been researching online how to build a bomb using several chemicals as ingredients, and acquired most of the ingredients and the necessary equipment, an FBI agent said in a court affidavit.

In December and January, he purchased concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids, a gas mask, a Hazmat suit, a soldering iron kit, glass beakers and flasks, wiring, a stun gun, clocks and a battery tester, according to the affidavit.

It said Aldawsari also e-mailed himself instructions on how to convert a cellular phone into a remote detonator and how to prepare a booby-trapped vehicle using items available in every home.

One of his e-mails contained a message stating that "one operation in the land of the infidels is equal to ten operations against occupying forces in the land of the Muslims," according to the affidavit.

FBI agents in a legally authorized search of Aldawsari's apartment this month found a notebook that appeared to be a diary or journal, it said.

According to the affidavit, excerpts from the journal indicated that he had been planning to commit a terrorist attack in the United States for years.

It quoted one of his entries as saying, "And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad."

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones was sentenced on Thursday to a year's probation for his role in a 2007 Las Vegas strip club brawl that left one man paralyzed from the waist down and two others wounded.

The sentence on a gross misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct means Jones, 27, who pleaded guilty, must stay out of trouble for a year, perform 200 hours of community service, take anger management classes and submit to random drug tests.

The charges stem from an altercation in February 2007 when Jones, who was with the NFL's Tennessee Titans at the time, visited Las Vegas during the National Basketball Association's All-Star weekend.

According to police reports, the incident occurred at the Minxx strip club, after Jones "made it rain" by throwing money into the air.

Minutes later, a brawl ensued outside the club and Arvin Kenti Edwards, an associate of Jones, began shooting into a group of people, according to police.

Edwards has entered an "Alford plea" to the charge of attempted murder, meaning he will not contest the charge.

Robert Langford, an attorney for Jones, said the player was "looking forward to having this chapter behind him."

"He's grown up, and realized that there's more to life than just another big party. He doesn't go to strip clubs in Las Vegas anymore -- not even in Cincinnati," Langford said.

(Reporting by Timothy Pratt; Editing by Dan Whitcomb)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama's administration will no longer defend a 15-year-old U.S. law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, a major policy shift in favor of gay rights.

The issue of gay marriage has been a major personal conflict for Obama -- he has opposed it and instead favored civil unions -- and his policy reversal drew criticism from conservatives who said the move was a political one.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced the change on Wednesday after a detailed review in recent weeks.

He said the government now agreed with a U.S. judge in Boston who ruled in 2010 that banning gay marriages was unconstitutional.

Previously, the Obama administration had appealed, stating that it was obligated to defend U.S. laws.

The hot-button issue of same-sex marriage has been the focus of many judicial and political battles across the country. Gay marriage has only been legalized in the District of Columbia and five of the 50 states -- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Some states have allowed same-sex civil unions, which Obama has supported, but he has opposed full marriage rights for gays and lesbians. In December Obama said that his views about it were "constantly evolving" and "I struggle with this."

Gay rights advocates praised the reversal, including Edith Windsor, who successfully challenged the law in Massachusetts.

She called the decision the "right thing" to do and that "my only regret is that my beloved late spouse, Thea Spyer, isn't here today to share in this historic moment."

The decision is the second major victory for gay rights groups in recent months. In December, the Obama administration successfully lobbied Congress to lift a ban preventing gay people from openly serving in the military.

"DEEPLY DISTURBING"

Holder said although the administration would not defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act from court challenges it would enforce the law until it was either repealed or struck down.

The judge in Boston had found that the federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, effectively barring gay marriages, violated the U.S. Constitution's provisions granting equal protection under the law and protecting states' rights.

Obama's move drew a rebuke from conservative Republicans who argued that he could not pick and choose the laws to defend and some termed his decision partisan politics.

Mike Huckabee, a 2008 presidential candidate who may run again in 2012 told reporters that Obama's decision "was an absolutely boneheaded political move. I think it was a boneheaded policy move."

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah said the Justice Department had an obligation to defend the law in court. "It is deeply disturbing to see politics further distort the Department of Justice," he said.

Obama has also expanded benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees including healthcare benefits, sick leave and family assistance services.

The move by the Obama administration came as supporters of gay marriage in California pressed a federal appeals court to lift its stay that prevented such unions. A California judge had ruled a statewide ban was unconstitutional.

Opponents of the ban, known as Proposition 8, said that Obama's move could help their case. "We think that will be very persuasive in the courts that are handling our case," said Ted Olson, a lawyer representing two same-sex couples in the case.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Thomas Ferraro in Washington and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Walsh)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Obama administration is trying to push a settlement that could force the largest U.S. banks to pay for reductions in loan principal worth billions of dollars following breakdowns in mortgage servicing, The Wall Street Journal said.

Should a settlement be reached, some state attorneys general are also pushing for banks to pay more than $20 billion of civil fines or to fund a similar amount of loan modifications for troubled borrowers, the newspaper said on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Regulators are looking to settle with as many as 14 servicers, including three of the nation's four largest banks: Bank of America Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The administration wants a commitment from loan servicers to reduce loan balances for borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth, and that such costs would not be borne by investors who bought mortgage-backed securities, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

It would thus force servicers that mishandled foreclosure procedures to bear losses by writing down loans they service on behalf of clients such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other investors, the newspaper said.

A settlement would let banks devise their own modifications or use existing government programs, and require them to reduce second-lien mortgages when primary mortgages are modified, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Terms remain fluid and have not been presented to banks, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Bank of America, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo declined to comment to the newspaper. None could be immediately reached after-hours for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Ramya Venugopal)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sales of foreclosed homes fell in 2010 as the market struggled with weak demand, though they still represented more than a quarter of total sales, according to a RealtyTrac report released on Thursday.

Sales of these distressed properties also fell in the fourth quarter, hurt by continued weakness from the expiration of the homebuyer tax credit and temporary halts in foreclosure sales from several major lenders.

Sales of homes owned by banks or in some stage of foreclosure decreased 31.1 percent in 2010 from 2009 to 831,574 and were down 13.8 percent from 2008. Sales of homes that were not in foreclosure also decreased for the year, down nearly 19 percent from 2009, RealtyTrac said.

Sales of foreclosed homes made up 26 percent of all home sales, down from 29 percent in 2009 and up from 23 percent in 2008.

"We're still seeing the volume of sales activity on these types of properties way beyond what we would normally see in a given year, but it's not keeping pace with how quickly the industry is creating the inventory," said Rick Sharga, senior vice president at RealtyTrac.

The glut of inventory on the market -- and more coming with fresh foreclosures -- is one of the biggest challenges for the struggling housing market. However, demand remains weak, pushing prices down further. The average sales price on foreclosed homes was 28.1 percent below the average of regular properties in 2010, compared to 27 percent the year before.

In the fourth quarter, foreclosure sales were down 22 percent from the previous quarter and down 45.4 percent from the fourth quarter 2009. Sales volume fell to its lowest level since the first quarter of 2008.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Andrew Hay)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – The Wisconsin state Assembly late on Tuesday rejected an attempt to send back to the drawing board a Republican proposal to curb public sector union rights that has sparked large protests and a tense stand-off with Democrats.

Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker warned that thousands of state and local government workers would be laid off if lawmakers do not approve his party's plan to reduce budget deficits.

"We are broke in this state because time and time again politicians of both political parties ran from the tough decisions and punted them down the road for another day," Walker said in an address to state residents.

In a first test vote, the Republican-controlled state Assembly voted against sending the proposal back to a committee for more work. The vote was 56 to 39, with only one Republican joining minority Democrats, according to website WisPolitics.

Hundreds of protesters choked the state Capitol's halls on Tuesday chanting, "It's about rights, it's not about money."

The proposal would strip most collective bargaining rights from many state workers. Walker said it is necessary to close a budget deficit of $137 million for this fiscal year.

Wisconsin Senate Democrats, who left the state last Thursday to deny a quorum for voting on the budget proposal in the state Senate, stayed outside the state again on Tuesday.

Wisconsin has become the flashpoint for a U.S. struggle over efforts to roll back pay, benefits and bargaining rights of government workers. If the majority Republicans prevail, several other states could be buoyed in efforts to take on the powerful public unions.

NATIONWIDE BUDGET WOES

U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.

The changes sought by Walker in Wisconsin would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year. Collective bargaining would be allowed only on wage increases up to the rate of inflation.

Walker wants the bill passed by Friday as part of a plan to push principal payments on general obligation bonds into future years to save $165 million. Under that plan, the bill must be passed by Friday to allow time to sell the debt.

While Wisconsin has been the center of attention, several other states are considering legislation to limit union rights.

The Indiana state Senate on Tuesday approved a measure to limit the collective bargaining rights of teacher's unions. Indiana House Democrats, like their Senate counterparts in Wisconsin, stayed away from the Capitol, stalling a vote on separate "right to work" legislation.

Thousands of people picketed the state Capitol in Ohio on Tuesday to protest a bill to cut collective bargaining rights for state workers. Ohio's bill goes even farther than Wisconsin's in prohibiting collective bargaining for some state workers.

Hundreds of people also demonstrated on Tuesday to oppose proposed limits to union powers by new Republican governors in New Mexico and Michigan.

(Writing by David Bailey. Reporting by James Kelleher, Jeff Mayers, Susan Guyett, John Rondy, Andrew Stern, Mary Wisniewski and Jim Lekrone; Editing by Peter Bohan and Greg McCune)

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A federal judge on Friday rejected a request by news organizations to release search warrant records of Arizona shooting rampage suspect Jared Lee Loughner, saying the investigation was still under way.

But U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said he would consider releasing the materials once a superseding indictment was handed down in the case, which prosecutors said could be by March 9.

And Burns declined a motion by prosecutors and defense attorneys to bar release of Loughner's federal photographs, saying he had no authority to overrule a prior appeals court opinion on such issues.

More than a dozen media outlets have asked that the photos and documents be released by the federal government under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout, is accused of opening fire on U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and a crowd of her constituents at a political gathering January 8 outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona.

Six bystanders, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge, were killed, and 13 others were wounded.

Giffords, who authorities said was the principal target of the attack, was shot in the head but survived. She is recovering from her wounds at a Houston rehabilitation center.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempting to assassinate a member of Congress and attempting to murder two of her staff members.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Anderson told U.S. District Judge Larry Burns that the matter is now before a federal grand jury and they expect a new indictment by March 9.

Federal prosecutors and Loughner's attorneys both opposed releasing the booking photos, arguing they are prejudicial to potential jurors because they make him appear guilty and that no public interest would be served in unsealing them.

The widely published police mug shot of Loughner, taken shortly after his arrest, shows the accused gunman, his head shaven bald, looking wild-eyed and smiling broadly.

Burns told the attorneys that he had looked at the mug shots and found them less prejudicial than the photos already widely available in the media and on the Internet.

"If someone didn't tell me these were mug shots, I wouldn't have known," he said. "The frontal shot in this case I think is tamer than the picture circulated widely on the Internet."

Prosecutors and defense lawyers have also asked that two search warrants and supporting affidavits remain sealed.

They argued that disclosure of some of the content, including an inventory of books, music, writings and college materials seized from Loughner's home, could undermine his right to a fair trial. Both sides also proposed heavy editing of the documents, which the judge rejected.

Burns said much of the information in the search warrant documents already has been reported, and that it was made public after the searches by law enforcement officials.

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Peter Bohan and Greg McCune)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) – Thousands of people picketed the state Capitol on Tuesday to protest a bill to cut collective bargaining rights for state workers.

In a local repeat of an issue that has roiled Wisconsin over the last two weeks, state Republican leaders say the bill is necessary to address the state's budget problems, while union leaders say it is designed to hurt unions.

"The intent is to give taxpayers a seat at the negotiating table," said Jason Mauk, spokesman for Ohio Senate Republicans.

Introduced in late January, the bill was scheduled for a state Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Ohio's bill goes farther than Wisconsin's in some ways, Mauk said. While Wisconsin's bill allows collective bargaining on wages, up to the rate of inflation, for state workers, the Ohio bill prohibits collective bargaining for 42,000 state workers in addition to 19,500 workers in the state's university and college system.

This would end a right established in 1983 for Ohio's public-sector workers.

For local governments that bargain with unions representing some 300,000 workers including police, firefighters, and public school teachers, the bill removes health care and some other benefits from the negotiating process.

Like Wisconsin, Ohio has a new Republican governor and Republican majorities in both legislative houses.

"What's happening in Ohio is similar to what's happening in Wisconsin," said Joseph Slater, professor of law at the University of Toledo College of Law.

Slater said there is no correlation between whether a state gives collective bargaining rights to workers and whether they have a deficit.

"I don't think you have to be terribly cynical to think there's a partisan thing going on," Slater said. "Unions, public-sector unions especially, support Democrats with money and foot soldiers more often than they do Republicans."

(Reporting by Andrew Stern and Jim Leckrone; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Peter Bohan and Jan Paschal)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Monday urged 14 Democratic state senators who left the state rather than vote on a bill that takes away bargaining rights for state workers to return to work, but warned a big budget deficit left no room to negotiate.

Senate Democrats who left Wisconsin last week said Walker needed to be open to compromise as thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Capitol building and on the snow-covered lawns of the grounds as a second week of protests continued.

"They've got to come to Wisconsin, do the job that they were elected to do, do the job that they're paid to do," Walker said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"If they want to do that, we will sit down and talk to them. But the bottom line is we can't negotiate over a budget because we are broke and we need the money," said Walker, referring to a projected $3.6 billion deficit over the next few years.

At a news conference later on Monday, Walker said that if the proposed collective bargaining changes were not implemented, "you make it very difficult for local governments in particular to balance their budgets for years to come."

The changes sought by Walker would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.

The Democratic senators left the state to deny the Wisconsin state Senate the quorum needed to consider the proposal.

Wisconsin Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said on Monday that public employees had agreed to economic concessions and Walker needed to be open to compromise.

"The governor has not done anything except insist that it has to be his way, all or nothing," Miller said in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show." "The governor needs to recognize that this is a democracy and in a democracy you negotiate."

"NERVES ARE RAW"

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a nonpartisan advocacy group, said that while the Democrats would not want to stay away for too long, there was nothing the Republicans could do to compel them to come back if Walker were unwilling to negotiate.

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of pressure from the districts for the senators to come back," Heck said.

Heck said this was the most polarizing event he had seen in Wisconsin since the 1995 debates over a new stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.

Wisconsin has become the flashpoint for a U.S. struggle over efforts to roll back pay, benefits and bargaining rights of government workers. If the majority Republicans prevail, other states such as Ohio and Tennessee could be buoyed in efforts to take on the long-standing powerful unions.

Public sector workers in West Virginia rallied on Monday for better pay and working conditions and expressed support for Wisconsin teachers and public workers.

The Wisconsin State Assembly is due to take up the Walker proposals on Tuesday. Republicans have a large enough majority to reach a quorum in the Assembly without the Democrats.

U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.

(Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Additional reporting by James Kelleher, Jeff Mayers and David Bailey; Editing by Tim Gaynor, Eric Walsh and Peter Cooney)

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – Hundreds of people rallied in Boise and ten other Idaho cities on Monday to protest a plan by the state's schools chief to lay off hundreds of teachers and curtail their collective bargaining.

Russ Chinske, head of the teachers union in the central Idaho town of Salmon, said it was wrong to strip teachers of their job protections.

"It's not a wise thing to fire people on a whim, especially the people dedicated to educating your children," he said.

The rallies were organized by the Idaho Education Association, which groups more than 12,000 elementary and secondary school teachers. At issue is Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's proposed overhaul of the public education system for kindergarten through high school.

Luna's plan would cut more than 750 teaching positions and remove from collective bargaining such provisions as class sizes, teacher workload and promotions. It also would ban collective bargaining unless the teachers union could prove it represented more than 50 percent of workers.

It would eliminate seniority as a factor in teacher layoffs and replace tenure for some current and all future teachers with one- or two-year contracts. The minimum teacher salary would rise to $30,000.

Luna's proposal is spelled out in a package of three bills that cleared a key state senate panel on Thursday and could be voted on by the full Senate as early as this week.

"Whether the trio of bills reaches the Senate floor Tuesday, later this week, or next week, Monday's rallies sent another statewide message of strong opposition to Luna's legislation," the IEA said on its web site on Monday.

But endorsement by the legislature's Republican leaders and Governor Butch Otter puts the proposal on track to become law.

Luna says the changes will save millions of dollars as the state is facing a projected shortfall of $90 million in tax revenues to fuel its budget.

"We must change the way we spend what we currently have," Luna said in a statement.

Governor Otter and Luna, who is in his second term as the elected head of Idaho schools, last week decried acts of "hostility and vandalism" aimed at Luna.

That came after someone slashed the tires on Luna's truck and spray-painted it with graffiti.

(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman. Editing by Peter Bohan)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A bus carrying more than 20 teenagers plunged off a cliff in a mountainous region east of Los Angeles on Monday, killing one person, police said.

The crash happened shortly before noon in the San Bernardino Mountains around 75 miles east of Los Angeles, trapping at least 10 teenagers on board, the California Highway Patrol said, although all were later freed.

The bus plunged 30 feet down a steep embankment after colliding with another vehicle on State Route 189 near Lake Gregory, San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said.

Rescuers could not get to the victims right away because a downed power line posed a risk of electrocution, and had to be cut off, she said.

All the trapped passengers were subsequently freed from the wreckage. Some were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, although the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear, Wiltshire said.

The bus was emblazoned with "Light of Love Mission Church," a place of worship in Pasadena, California, according to several media reports.

The patrol earlier indicated on its website that two people had died, but Wiltshire revised the figure to one fatality. The name or age of the victim was not immediately released, pending notification of next of kin.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Tim Gaynor)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Thousands of demonstrators converged on the Wisconsin state capital on Sunday to oppose a bid to reduce public employee union bargaining power, marking the start of a second week of growing protests with threats of wider dissent ahead.

Inside the Capitol's central rotunda and in its balconies, opponents of the controversial proposal by Republican Governor Scott Walker banged drums and shouted "We're not going away!"

Outside, where wet snow was falling, protesters chanted "Union busting is disgusting" against the governor's bid, which supporters say is needed to control state debt and spending and opponents contend would break the back of state worker unions.

While the crowds had dwindled from Saturday, when officials estimated about 55,000 demonstrators gathered, a major showing was expected on Monday, when the Wisconsin Education Association Council, representing some 98,000 public education employees, was planning a rally.

Monday is a mandatory furlough day for state workers.

Speaking in a television interview on Sunday, the governor said he expects the Democrats who oppose his plan will agree to debate it early this week.

Fourteen state Democratic senators have left the state to deny the Wisconsin legislature a quorum needed to consider the controversial proposal.

Those senators have "failed to do their jobs," Walker said on Fox Network's "Fox News Sunday."

"If you want to participate in democracy, you've got to be in the arena, and the arena is right here in Madison, Wisconsin," he said.

Mike Browne, an aide to Wisconsin Senate minority leader Mark Miller, said Democrats were ready to compromise but not on Walker's demands to weaken public union collective bargaining.

"He has before him the option to do what he wants financially. But he needs to compromise," Browne said. "The ball is in the governor's court."

Local media reported late Sunday that Republican majority leader Scott Fitzgerald said he will convene the Senate on Tuesday with or without the Democrats. Fitzgerald's party holds a 19-14 majority but needs a quorum of 20 to vote on spending bills. Other bills require only a quorum of 17 members.

One opponent of the governor's proposal, David Poklinkoski, the president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 2304, called it "a bold, opening salvo not only in Wisconsin but across the country."

"Private sector workers know we're next," he said, adding: "If you had told me last Friday, when the governor dropped this bomb on us, that 200,000 people would have turned out in the streets over the next week to protest, I would have said 'no way.'

"But the other side has made it clear that we're ground zero in a national fight. So we need to act like it, and so far we have," he said.

Public sector workers in West Virginia, in support of the Wisconsin protests, will rally on Monday to demand better pay and improved working conditions, a union spokesman said.

FLASHPOINT IN NATIONAL STRUGGLE

Wisconsin, where the first demonstrations were staged last Sunday outside the governor's residence, has become the flashpoint for a U.S. struggle over efforts to roll back pay, benefits and bargaining rights of government workers. If the majority Republicans prevail, other states could be emboldened to take on the powerful unions.

Those backing the proposal were planning a nationwide demonstration on Tuesday, said Ned Ryun, the head of American Majority which sponsored a rally on Saturday attended by about 5,000 supporters of the Tea Party limited-government movement.

"What happens in Wisconsin will set the tone for the rest of the nation," he said.

The governor said on Fox he expects the Democrats who left the state for Illinois to return in coming days, although one of them has said they are prepared to be away for weeks.

"My hope is that cooler minds will prevail and by some time earlier this coming week they'll show up for their job," Walker said.

The Wisconsin State Assembly is due to take up the proposals on Tuesday. Republicans have a large enough majority to quorum in the Assembly without the Democrats.

"My hope is before Tuesday enough Republicans will recognize this proposal is over-reaching and the support for this proposal wanes. I've been told some Republicans will reconsider," State Assemblyman and Minority Leader Peter Barca said on Saturday.

U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. Other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.

The changes sought by Walker in Wisconsin would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions, end government collection of union dues, let workers opt out of unions and require unions to hold recertification votes every year.

Union and Democratic leaders say they are willing to compromise on benefits if Republicans back off the bid to weaken collective bargaining, but Walker and his allies have stood firm.

Walker estimates the state budget deficit for the rest of this fiscal year at $137 million and for the next two fiscal years under its biannual budget at $3.3 billion.

Walker said the alternative is to lay off more than 10,000 public employees.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst, Peter Bohan and Tim Gaynor)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – The issues were serious but the mood was cheery on Sunday among demonstrators in Wisconsin protesting an effort by the Republican governor to reduce the bargaining power of public employee unions.

Protesters, marking the start of a second week of mass action, jammed inside the state Capitol's rotunda, protected from the sleet and wet snow outside, to munch pizza donated by sympathizers from out of state and from foreign countries.

"It's like a street festival," said Tyler Pagel, 29, whose wife is a teacher, one of tens of thousands of workers who could be affected by Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to roll back pay, benefits and bargaining rights of government employees.

Pagel joked that even in Madison, which was a hotbed of student activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the protests were extraordinary.

"This is Madison. So it's not hard to get 200 people to protest anything. But 2,000? Or 20,000? It's unbelievable," he said.

Adding to the festive atmosphere was the sound of someone blowing a vuvuzela, one of the buzzing horns whose sound permeated the World Cup competition last year in South Africa.

Draped in a Wisconsin state flag, Pagel distributed pizzas paid for by a supporter in Minnesota and delivered to the Capitol where some 1,500 people were camped inside on Sunday.

A local pizza parlor called Ian's posted a sign listing where it was getting donations for pizzas to be delivered to the demonstrators -- 40 of the 50 U.S. states, Korea, Finland, Denmark, Australia, Turkey, Canada, the Netherlands, China, Australia, China, England, Egypt and elsewhere.

Demonstrators have been pouring into the state capital of Madison for days since the governor made his controversial proposal, numbering as many as 55,000 on Saturday.

A mass rally was expected on Monday, a mandatory furlough day for state workers.

"GROUND ZERO"

Jeff Rae, 30, who works for the Transport Workers Union in Washington, said he arrived in Madison to gather intelligence on the controversy. His union sees Wisconsin as the first in a series of battles nationwide, he said.

"This is Ground Zero," Rae said. "Ohio's next."

Like Wisconsin, Ohio is looking to cuts in spending to balance its budget. In Ohio, however, the odds are seen favoring organized labor more than in Wisconsin, Rae said.

Robert Koenig, a 49-year-old employee with the agency that oversees Wisconsin's retirement system, said he had accompanied members of his daughter's seventh-grade class to the capitol earlier in the week to watch the political drama unfold.

"I told them, 'You're not going to school today. But you're going to learn an important civic lesson,'" he said.

Pagel said he planned to spend the night sleeping in the rotunda where on Saturday night, some 400 people slept inside.

They are allowed to stay because a handful of Democratic Assembly members were holding an ongoing hearing on the third floor to listen to testimony from people opposed to the bill and thus the building remained open.

Local residents posted signs advertising space in their homes for those looking for a free place to sleep.

(Reporting by James Kelleher; Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Peter Bohan)

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A severe winter storm was driving across the upper Midwest on Sunday, dumping up to 15 inches of snow and causing white-out conditions in spots from the Dakotas through Minnesota and into Wisconsin.

State officials warned against travel in most of South Dakota where roads were not already closed, most southern Minnesota roads were slick and snow-covered with limited driver visibility and airlines canceled hundreds of flights.

The National Weather Service said travel will be very difficult at times due to ice and snow in southern Wisconsin, where a mass protest against changes to collective bargaining laws was expected to continue at the state capital in Madison.

Forecasters expect up to four inches of snow in southern Wisconsin with some sleet and freezing rain leading to ice accumulations in some areas.

The storm was expected to dump up to 15 inches of snow in Minnesota from Sunday to midday on Monday and nearly a foot of snow across central to northeast Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. Earlier forecasts had aimed for snow accumulations of up to 18 inches in parts of Minnesota.

The National Weather Service on Sunday afternoon forecast 10 to 14 inches of snow for the Twin Cities overall by the time the storm ends on Monday, said Tony Zaleski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Minnesota.

"The biggest snow amounts have been basically across south central Minnesota," Zaleski said.

Blizzard conditions were developing west and south of Minneapolis where up to 8 inches of snow were reported in New Ulm and Lester Prairie, the National Weather Service said.

South suburbs to Minneapolis and St. Paul had already reported snow falls of 5 to 7 inches on Sunday afternoon, Zaleski said.

"There is a lot of blowing snow out there, it's real tough to measure when you have the snow blowing at 20 to 30 miles per hour," Zaleski said.

Most flights were canceled out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday from the storm that brought high winds that reduced operations, airport spokeswoman Melissa Scovronski said.

Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights at the airport Sunday and expects more flight cuts on Monday across its route system, particularly in the midwest and northeast United States, spokesman Anthony Black said.

Heavy snows in December and at other points already had pushed snowfall totals to more than 61 inches in the Twin Cities before the latest storm, making it the fifth snowiest on record, according to National Weather Service statistics.

A 10-inch snowfall would make it the second snowiest winter behind only 1981-82 when 76.9 inches of snow were recorded.

Blizzard conditions crossed much of South Dakota with more than a foot of snow and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour in a band from Pierre to Watertown, forecasters said.

South Dakota closed Interstate 29 from Sioux Falls north to the North Dakota border on the eastern side of the state and closed a 150 mile stretch of Interstate 90 from Wall to Chamberlain on the south central part of the state.

(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Tim Gaynor)

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Supporters of legislation to reduce public employee union bargaining power and benefits in Wisconsin were far outnumbered by opponents on Saturday, as the two sides shouted competing slogans but did not clash.

Tens of thousands have demonstrated this week against Republican Governor Scott Walker's proposed legislation, which supporters say is needed to control spending and opponents contend would break the back of state worker unions.

Wisconsin is the flashpoint for a U.S. struggle over efforts to roll back pay, benefits and bargaining rights of government workers. If the majority Republicans prevail, other states could be emboldened to take on the powerful unions.

Both sides drew thousands to the state capital Madison on Saturday -- officials put the combined total at 55,000 -- but no more than 5,000 of those appeared to be there for the rally backed by Tea Party groups, the first appearance by members of the conservative, limited-government movement this week.

The bill's opponents marched counter-clockwise around the state Capitol, encircling the legislation's supporters and chanting "kill the bill."

The supporters countered with "Recall them all," referring to Democratic state senators who fled to Illinois to deny Republicans the quorum needed to consider the proposal.

In addition to sharply curtailing union bargaining power, the Republican legislation would make state workers contribute more to health insurance and pensions.

FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE

"I've been working in a factory for 26 years. We pay 15 percent for the cost of our healthcare. The state workers get Cadillac insurance and pensions. They have no God-given right to collective bargaining," said bill supporter Anthony Thelen, 46, who works in a nonunion factory outside of Milwaukee.

Although there had been fears of a fight, the atmosphere was generally peaceful and friendly, with organizers on both sides urging followers to be courteous.

Margaret Derr, a high school math teacher and union member, said she didn't dislike the governor personally.

"I'm just opposed to the bill. I have no problem contributing more to my healthcare and pension. I understand about the deficit, but some of the proposals are just about union busting."

Like Derr, union and Democratic leaders say they are willing to compromise on benefits if Republicans back off on their bid to weaken collective bargaining, but so far Walker and his legislative allies have stood firm.

State Assemblyman and Minority Leader Peter Barca told Reuters, however, that he has not given up on a compromise.

"My hope is before Tuesday enough Republicans will recognize this proposal is over-reaching and the support for this proposal wanes. I've been told some Republicans will reconsider," he said.

Tuesday is when the State Assembly is due to take up the proposals again. Barca said he did not know when the absent Democratic state senators might return, allowing that body to consider the measure. Senator Jon Erpenbach said Friday that the senators were prepared to be away for weeks.

Governor Walker estimates the state budget deficit for the rest of this fiscal year at $137 million and for the next two fiscal years under its biannual budget at $3.3 billion.

He wants state workers to increase contributions to pensions to 5.8 percent of salary and double contributions to health insurance premiums to 12.6 percent.

The proposal would limit collective bargaining to the issue of wages and cap increases to the rate of inflation, with a voter referendum needed for bigger increases.

It also would end government collection of union dues, allow workers to opt out of unions, and require unions to hold recertification votes every year. Walker said the alternative is to lay off more than 10,000 public employees.

U.S. state and local governments are struggling to balance budgets after the recession decimated their finances. In addition to Wisconsin, other states like Texas, Arizona and Ohio are relying mainly on cuts in spending to balance the books, while Minnesota and Illinois are raising taxes.

Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, called the polemical environment in Madison a "raging against the coming of the night" stemming from years of fiscal irresponsibility.

He said the conflict will spread. "As bad as this is at the Wisconsin State level, it is far worse in about 20 states," Sabato told Reuters.

"In cases like this it always depends on how the governor handles it," he said. "If you look around the country there are a whole bunch of these types of governors and I would be shocked something like this doesn't happen in Ohio, New Jersey, and Florida."

Despite such serious aspects of the issues, Wisconsonites on both sides did not let their differences get in the way of civility on Saturday.

When the opposing rallies ended, many retired to the numerous bars in the Capitol's shadow, like The Old Fashioned Tavern & Restaurant.

Zog Begolli, a 23-year-old bill opponent, met four bill supporters there when they helped him get a drink at the crowded bar. "They allowed me to get closer so I could order," he said.

"Beer is something we can all agree on," said Randy Otto, 59, from Lake Mills, one of those who let Begolli squeeze in.

(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson in Chicago; Editing by Jerry Norton and Philip Barbara)

MADISON (Reuters) – When the two sides in Wisconsin's bitter battle over the future of the state's unionized public employees converged on the Capitol on Saturday for dueling rallies, the fear was trouble would break out.

Instead, the day was marked by a surprising civility when the shouting stopped and the one-on-one conversations began.

The slogans they had chanted had highlighted the stark differences that separated them.

"Kill the bill!" cried the opponents of Republican Governor Scott Walker's proposal to cut the pay and benefits of unionized public workers and sharply reduce their collective bargaining rights. "Pass the bill!" supporters of the proposal shouted back.

But aside from a few outsiders -- like AFL-CIO chief Rich Trumka here to back opponents of the measure, and Andrew Breitbart, the conservative provocateur who appeared at the Tea Party-backed rally to support Walker -- the people on hand were from Wisconsin itself and these neighbors were remarkably civil despite their sharp disagreements.

Wisconsonites are united, even in times like this, by many things, including a love of University of Wisconsin, Madison, athletics and the program's strutting mascot Bucky the Badger; a devotion to the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers NFL football team; and, of course, a love of beer, brought to the state by its German settlers and honed by brewers whose names are part of American history: Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz.

So when the opposing rallies ended here on Saturday, many of the demonstrators retired to the numerous bars in the Capitol's shadow, like The Old Fashioned Tavern & Restaurant, with its 50 beers on tap -- all from Wisconsin -- and another 100 in bottles, 99 of them from the Badger state. The one other, from neighboring Minnesota, is listed under imports.

Over pints of Evil Doppleganger Double Mai Bock and Lost Lake Pilsner, knots of demonstrators debated the questions that have galvanized union employees across the country and brought the business of the state legislature to a standstill. Is Walker's proposal part of the Republican's effort to put the state's finances in order, a repudiation of the state's long history of progressive politics, or the latest example of that tradition?

Zog Begolli, a 23-year-old bill opponent, met four bill supporters at the Old Fashioned when they helped him get a drink at the crowded bar. "They allowed me to get closer so I could order a beer," Begolli said.

"Beer is something we can all agree on," said Randy Otto, 59, from Lake Mills, one of the bill supporters who let Begolli squeeze in.

"I was outnumbered," Begolli said. "But the conversation was civil."

Outside the numbers were reversed. Of the estimated 55,000 people attending Saturday's demonstrations, probably fewer than 5,000 were Tea Party types backing Walker and his fellow Republicans.

Begolli said he agreed with the bill's supporters that, in the state's current budget crisis, public employees can help by paying more for their health care and retirement benefits. But he says the part of Walker's bill curtailing collective bargaining by unionized state employees is "not about fiscal issues. It's an attack on unions."

Dave Andera, a 59-year old investment adviser from Milwaukee, has no problem with that. He thinks public workers should not be unionized and believes Walker is following in the progressive footsteps of the state's great Robert La Follette by facing down organized labor.

"Wisconsin has always been in the forefront of change," he said. "And we're in the forefront again."

Neither Andera nor Begolli believed he had changed the other's mind during their 30-minute conversation at the Old Fashioned. But both thought the legislators inside the Capitol could learn something from the exchange.

"I think the more meaningful discussions this week have occurred outside the capitol," Andera said.

"You can disagree without being disagreeable," Begolli said. "That's exactly what we need to see inside the State Capitol."

(Editing by Jerry Norton)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – As demonstrators wrangled on Saturday over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's move to weaken public unions, analysts weighed the consequences of 14 Democratic senators' decision to flee the state to stall the bill's consideration.

Their absence means the State Senate, controlled by Republicans, lacks the necessary quorum to act on the proposal.

"This is seen as an extreme action you can interpret in two ways," said Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

"Either they are trying to unfairly deny the people's vote in November or they feel that things are so inequitable that they have been forced to use these tactics."

"In doing so, Democrats might end up losing a giant public relations battle in addition to this legislative stand-off," Sabato said.

Democratic leaders say the senators were forced into the action by Republicans -- who won control of the governorship and legislature last fall -- seeking to rapidly introduce legislation while breaking legislative rules. Republicans deny that and say the legislation is necessary to create needed flexibility in dealing with the state's imminent fiscal woes.

Tens of thousands of state workers and their supporters have demonstrated against the proposals this week, and many have added their signatures to a sign in the State Capitol that showed solidarity with the absent senators.

"I think they are doing exactly what they need to do by staying away," said Julie Rothenbach, 42, a mother and teacher-in-training from Milwaukee after signing the poster. "And if that's what it takes to slow this thing down and let our voices be heard, that's okay with me."

Professor Mark Copelovitch of the University of Wisconsin said the Democrats' move was a local version of the U.S. Senate filibuster, a tactic once minimally used that he called now "systematic.

Defenders say such tactics protect minority rights and prevent majorities from ramming through legislation without due deliberation. Critics contend they can hinder the legislative process and implementation of policies voters support.

"As far as the constitution goes, there is nothing that expressly forbids their actions," Copelovitch said. "But if the same thing that is happening in Wisconsin spreads to other states, there should be explicit rules written to forbid it."

Senator Jon Erpenbach said Friday that the senators were prepared to be away for weeks, and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said he didn't know when they would return.

"Sooner or later all 14 will have to return--they are away from their states, homes, and businesses," said Sabato, adding that a vote is inevitable and the mathematics is not on the side of the Democrats.

"The upside is that they have brought a lot of attention to their point of view. The downside is they are setting themselves up for a big failure in public relations at some point," Sabato said.

(Reporting by Eric Johnson; Editing by Jerry Norton)