MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday gave final approval to a GOP measure that sharply limits collective-bargaining rights for most public employees.

By 53-42, the Assembly passed the measure, an expected step after the state Senate OK’d the proposal Wednesday night despite a boycott by all 14 of the Democratic lawmakers. Democrats fled the state Feb. 17, denying the Senate a quorum, but Republicans modified the bill so that a simple majority was sufficient to pass the plan proposed by Gov. Scott Walker and send it to the Assembly.

Even though passage was expected, it didn’t stop the fiery words that have monopolized Wisconsin politics for almost a month and have put the state solidly on the national political map. The battle between the Republican government and its public employee unions was viewed as a test case by the national union movement and by other financially pressed states seeking similar measures.

Union leaders plan to use the Wisconsin setback to fire up their members nationwide and mount a major counterattack against Republicans at the ballot box in 2012. Labor leaders say the events in Wisconsin have helped galvanize support for unions across the country. They hope to use the momentum to help fight off other attacks and grow their membership.

“I guess I ought to say thank you particularly to Scott Walker. We should have invited him here today to receive the Mobilizer of the Year award from us!” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told The Associated Press on Thursday in Washington. “This is the debate we’ve wanted to have for 25 years. Well, guess what? Suddenly the debate came to us.”

As several states seek to follow Wisconsin’s lead, newly invigorated public unions are looking ahead to the next election. Democrats are pressing to recall Republican opponents of organized labor and turn the debate into a focal point of next year’s campaign.

Democrats said their counterattack efforts were already beginning to bear fruit in the form of donations: The party’s Wisconsin chapter said it raised $300,000 overnight and has collected $800,000 from 32,000 donors in just five days.

Tens of thousands of people have protested for more than three weeks outside and inside the Capitol. On Thursday morning, hundreds clogged hallways and some security checkpoints, forcing police to clear the areas and to even shut down the Capitol for a time. The confrontations delayed the start of the Assembly’s deliberations by about two hours with the outcome in the GOP-controlled body assured.

As a prayer was offered before the Assembly session began just after 12:30 p.m. local time, people in the gallery shouted, “Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker” at Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, who had just finished talking. The shouts drowned out much of the prayer.

A few minutes later, Democratic state Rep. Joe Parisi introduced the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who received a standing ovation from protesters in the gallery. Jackson then led the Assembly in prayer, encouraging lawmakers to hold hands across the aisles in the chamber.

But that gesture was lost amid the muffled sounds of protesters’ chants and drums that served as a discordant backdrop to the Assembly’s deliberations. At one point, a man stood alone in the center of the Capitol’s rotunda, leading people gathered in a circle around him and on balconies on the upper floors in a chant of “This is what democracy looks like!”

On the floor, the debate was less about the issues than about who should be politically blamed. Democrats and Republicans exchanged charges about who was trying to trick the other and who was engaged in political theater. There were calls from the Democrats for the Republican speaker to step aside.

The resolution to remove the speaker failed 57-37. There are 60 Republicans, 38 Democrats and one independent in the chamber.

After several hours, the Assembly acted and the measure now goes to Walker, who has said he will sign it. Democrats are expected to fight the plan in the courts and have started recall campaigns against some Republicans.

What began as a local dispute over how to balance the budget quickly escalated into a test of political wills last month. The fleeing of the Democratic state senators elevated the battle between the state and unionists into a national issue.

The Senate passed the modified measure, 18-1, on Wednesday night, sending the bill to the Assembly, which acted as anticipated. Throughout, Walker insisted that the anti-union measures were needed to help government in perilous times.

“The measure is really about reform,” Walker said at a televised news conference Thursday. “It is about giving local governments and state government the reforms they need to make government work better. It ultimately allows us the tools on state and local levels to balance our budgets, not just now but into the future.”

Even with the modifications, the measure would sharply curb union bargaining rights for most public employees, except for police and fire. The bill prevents bargaining on health and pension benefits and limits talks to some aspects of pay. Unions would also be subject to recertification votes, and the bill blocks most automatic deductions for union dues.

Walker also has called on the unions to pay more for their health insurance and for their pensions. The unions have said they are willing to pay the increased tab for benefits but have continued to fight the collective-bargaining issue.

Jane Koenig, a teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she is protesting because she is “totally against the whole bill.”

“The basic right of collective bargaining is being stripped,” said Koenig, 54. “This is not about money. This is not about the budget.”

The proposals also have incited protests across the United States and a sharp debate about the role of public employee unions in dealing with state shortfalls. Other Midwestern states are considering similar antiunion legislation, even though most polls show that a solid majority of Americans oppose efforts to limit bargaining rights.

Republican governors have rallied to Walker’s side, as have some potential presidential aspirants, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Democrats, including President Obama, have questioned whether the measures that limit union power were needed. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.