It looks like the unions have lost in Wisconsin.  I wish they hadn't so abused their power so I wouldn't have such mixed feelings about this.  Hopefully, the teachers unions around the country will get the message that they need to stop looking out only for their own selfish interests and start putting kids first, or what's happening here will turn into a national tidal wave:

A bill sharply curtailing collective bargaining rights for government workers in Wisconsin is due for a vote in the State Assembly on Thursday morning, where it is all but sure to pass. The State Senate approved similar legislation Wednesday with only Republican members casting votes; the chamber's Democratic minority, who fiercely oppose the measure, remain out of the state.

…Democrats, meanwhile, condemned the move as an attack on working families, a violation of open-meetings requirements (because most of them were not aware that the vote was to be held until shortly before it happened), and a virtual firebomb in a state already polarized and consumed with recall efforts, large-scale protests and fury from public workers.

"In 30 minutes, 18 state senators undid 50 years of civil rights in Wisconsin," said Mark Miller, the leader of the Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois on Feb. 17 to block just such a vote from occurring. "Their disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten."

But Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, was unapologetic on Thursday, saying Democrats had behaved unprofessionally.

"Don't let their complete absence fool you; the Senate Democrats forced that vote yesterday," Mr. Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They forced it three weeks ago, when they abandoned their jobs and fled to Illinois for a long-term vacation."

He added: "And today, they're 'shocked' that a decision was made without them in the room. Yesterday's actions shouldn't surprise anyone, much less any parent in Wisconsin. We know that sometimes, throwing a fit doesn't get you what you want."

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Wisconsin Assembly Set to Approve Limits on Unions

By MONICA DAVEY

Published: March 10, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/us/11wisconsin.html?hp=&pagewanted=all