LANSING, Mich. – For generations, Michigan was the ultimate labor stronghold – a state built by factory workers for whom a high school diploma and a union card were the ticket to a middle-class life.

Yet it took only hours for Republicans to tear down a key part of that tradition, the requirement that all employees in a union workplace pay dues.

The swift action was the result of a decisive governor who teamed up with a supermajority of GOP allies in the statehouse to win a prize long sought by conservatives. It also provided a window into how state governments might work in an era when they are increasingly run by a single party.