Madison - The Assembly teetered on the brink of chaos Friday evening but then adjourned peacefully after Republicans rescinded a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill that the GOP lawmakers took without Democrats present.

The high political drama came as the standoff on the politically charged bill dragged on, Democratic senators hid out in Illinois, a throng of tens of thousands demonstrated at the Capitol and national figures weighed in on the events.

In fast-moving events Friday: Leaders of the state's biggest public worker unions said they would give in to the governor's demand for concessions on workers' benefits if Walker would give up his bid to repeal nearly all public union bargaining rights; Walker rejected that offer, saying government needed more flexibility in dealing with its employees; and the governor's address on the next two-year budget was delayed by a week.

No clear exit from the chaos could be seen for either side. During the fourth straight day of demonstrations, the chanting, drumming and marching crowds of union supporters swelled to their largest numbers yet but remained peaceful, with no arrests or incidents reported. Meanwhile tea party groups from around the country planned a large counterdemonstration for Madison on Saturday.

Wisconsin's fight over union rights plays out against a national backdrop as other states such as Ohio consider similar moves.

In the Wisconsin Assembly on Friday, Republican leaders had called lawmakers to the floor at 5 p.m. to take up Walker's bill to fix a budget shortfall by cutting public worker benefits and bargaining rights. But they began business just before that hour, when Democrats were not yet on the floor.

Democrats charged into the chamber and shouted to stop the action as Republican staff urged their leaders to "keep going, keep going." Republicans took the voice vote, putting the bill in a stage that prevented it from being amended in that house. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) called the move an "illegal vote" and demanded that Republicans rescind it.

"Unbelievable!" Barca screamed. "Unprecedented! Un-American! Not in keeping with the values of the state! You should be ashamed of yourselves."

Minutes later, Republicans agreed to effectively cancel the vote by allowing the bill to return to a stage in which Democrats can offer amendments. Democrats may have dozens of them, and the debate on the bill - whenever it happens - is expected to take hours. The Assembly adjourned until Tuesday.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) said he started taking votes because he did not believe Democrats would show up. In the Senate, Democrats have blocked a vote since Thursday on the budget repair bill by leaving the state.

"I wanted to see if they were going to come to the floor," Fitzgerald said of Democrats. "I had to force the issue, but obviously they did come."

In the Assembly galleries, union supporters erupted in cheers as that house adjourned without passing the bill. Fitzgerald said that the events were not a defeat and that he still has the votes to approve the bill.

"Democracy isn't pretty all the time," he said.

In the Senate, his brother, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), also said he still has the votes he needs.

"If anything, what's going on in this building is galvanizing the (Republican) caucus," Fitzgerald said.

Earlier Friday, Marty Beil, head of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, said his members would agree to pay more of their pension contributions and health insurance benefits as Walker is demanding. But Beil said his union would never agree to give up decades-old bargaining rights.

Beil's union is part of AFSCME, the largest state and local employee union in Wisconsin, which represents 68,000 workers for the state, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and other municipalities. An AFSCME spokesman said Beil was speaking for all the group's union locals in the state.

"We are prepared to implement the financial concessions proposed to help bring our state's budget into balance, but we will not be denied our God-given right to join a real union . . . we will not - I repeat we will not - be denied our rights to collectively bargain," Beil said in a statement.

Mary Bell, the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teachers union, said her group also would make the financial concessions to keep its bargaining rights.

"This is not about money," Bell said in a phone conference. "We understand the need to sacrifice."

No compromise seen

Walker flatly rejected the offer. He said local governments and schools will need that flexibility with their employees to cope with cuts in their state aid that he wants to make to help balance the state budget.

"It doesn't work," Walker said of the offer in an interview. "My goal all along has been to give all these folks - I asked for it in the past - the tools to control their own budgets . . . I know as a (former) local official, collective bargaining time and time again was the thing that stood in the way of local governments and school districts being able to manage their budgets."

During the interview, the thick walls of Walker's orderly office muted the thunderous shouts of demonstrators just a short distance away. Walker acknowledged getting little sleep through the demonstrations but looked unruffled and resolved.

Walker pointed out that in December the state unions sought - unsuccessfully - to have Democrats then controlling the Legislature pass labor contracts that would have run through June. The no-pay-raise contracts would have included modest benefits concessions but would have also blocked for several months Walker's ability to reach the deeper cuts in benefits that he is seeking.

"Let's not kid ourselves. The reality is, it's about the money," Walker said.

Also Friday, Walker delayed his address on the 2011-'13 budget bill until March 1. The governor had planned to deliver the speech Tuesday at a Madison manufacturer - a departure from past practice - but will now give the speech in the usual location, the state Assembly chambers.

Democratic activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. arrived in Madison on Friday to cheer the union crowds in speeches inside and outside the Capitol and denounce Republicans' actions. Sen. Fitzgerald responded that Jackson's appearance and recent comments by President Barack Obama on the budget standoff showed that Wisconsin has become a leader for states nationwide that are struggling with difficult budget deficits in the face of a prolonged economic downturn.

At 9:30 on Friday morning, Republicans came to the floor and did a call for all senators to come to the floor. But for the second straight day, Democrats stayed in Illinois - a move that blocks a Senate vote on Walker's bill. Sen. Fitzgerald blasted Democrats for boycotting the Senate, saying he has barely had any contact with them.

"They won't call me back," he said.

State troopers were sent to the Monona home of Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller to bring him to the Senate, but the Democrat wasn't there.

"My colleagues and I continue to work to stop state government from taking away rights from workers," Miller said in a statement. "We continue to call on the governor and Republicans to allow us to get serious about addressing fiscal issues and creating jobs and drop the unrelated items that do nothing to help us balance our budget."

If troopers do find Democrats, they will not arrest them, Fitzgerald said.

"It's never going to happen, that's the point," Fitzgerald said. "I don't know what the practical ability to force a senator to sit in their chair and vote (is)."

While the Assembly has adjourned until next week, the Senate can convene at a moment's notice if Democrats are found. Republicans did not say whether they would consider coming into session over the weekend.

In an interview, Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) said he and his Democratic Senate colleagues will be back.

"We won't obstruct the vote forever," Holperin said. "We are within range of the Capitol if we need to be."

The Capitol Police said there were no incidents and no arrests Friday, but Republicans said they had security concerns amid what they considered a tense atmosphere.

Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac), who has prisons employing many state workers in or near his district, said he had received threats such as "I have a billy club and I will use it." He said he had not received any death threats and would not be intimidated.

After action ended in each house, law enforcement escorted Republican legislators out of the Capitol and through the crowds that demonstrated late into the night.

Bill Glauber, Don Walker and Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.