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The largest teacher’s union in Utah and other public employees may not be able to engage in collective bargaining under a new House measure

Salt Lake City, Utah – According to a measure pending in a Utah House committee, public employers are prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining with public labor unions that represent Utah’s teachers, firefighters, police, and other service-oriented occupations.
Rep. Jordan Teuscher, a Republican from South Jordan, is the sponsor of the measure, HB 267, which is called the “Public Sector Labor Union Amendments.” Here is a quick rundown of the measure and the reasons Utah’s biggest teacher’s union is opposing it.
HB 267 explained
A public employer “may not recognize a labor organization as a bargaining agent…or collectively bargain or enter into any collective bargaining contract with a labor organization or a representative,” according to the bill, but unions are still permitted to form.
The law would also limit the payments of public employees or third parties for union action, prohibit the use of public funds or property to “assist or support” union activity, and prohibit the use of public funds to pay for union leave.
The Utah Education Association, the biggest teachers’ organization in the state, is opposing the law and has referred to it as “a power grab.” The proponent of the bill and other lawmakers are “anti-public education,” according to the UEA.
Teuscher told ABC4.com that the House Business and Labor Committee would consider the bill on Thursday, January 23 at 2:00 p.m. Regarding the measure, he made the following statement:
While continuing to support Utah’s public employees, HB267 aims to guarantee equity, accountability, and openness in the use of public resources.
The bill does not forbid public employees from joining unions or abolishing them. Teachers and other public servants will continue to have the right to union support, self-advocacy, and organization. By outlawing collective bargaining in the public sector going ahead, HB267 establishes a framework that allows businesses to speak with all workers directly, not just union representatives, about workplace issues.
An explanation of HB 267’s opposition
However, if the union loses its collective voice to support public schools, the UEA contends that the change will harm kids, deprive public unions like theirs of their negotiating rights, and burden them with needless red tape.
On a website created to gather signatures against the measure, the UEA states, “This dangerous legislation… will silence public educators, eliminate bargaining rights, and weaken unions that advocate for student success and quality public schools.”
With a target of 10,000 signatures against the law, the UEA has amassed around 7,800 signatures against it.
The UEA stated, “Educators and students lose essential protections and resources without strong unions.”
Since the UEA was involved in a lawsuit against the state over its “Utah Fits All” scholarship program, which creates a procedure for parents to get state funds to use for homeschooling and private school education, the group and the legislature have been at odds.
The UEA vehemently opposed it, and critics referred to it as a voucher program. In 2023, the “Utah Fits All” program and teacher pay increases were included in the same law, a decision that was also closely criticized.
HB267 is being sponsored on the floor by Senator Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy. He told ABC4.com that because demand for the scholarship program is above projections, they will look for additional money in 2025.
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