Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Utah House committee advanced HB267, affecting public labor unions, after public comments.
- The bill prohibits public sector collective bargaining and mandates unions report finances and pay for facility use.
- Supporters cite taxpayer savings, while opponents fear it weakens union influence and employee advocacy.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would change the way public labor unions operate in the state advanced through a Utah House committee Thursday, after an extensive period of public comment.
The bill, HB267 "Public Sector Labor Union Amendments," was debated during the Business, Labor and Commerce standing committee hearing. The bill is sponsored by Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan.
The committee hearing, with three overflow rooms, was full of people from around the state who came to voice their thoughts on the bill. In one of the overflow rooms, everyone except for one person was opposed to the bill.
After Teuscher presented the bill and the committee members asked their questions, the hearing was open to public comments. The public comment period lasted about an hour.
With a vote of 11 to 4 the bill advanced through the committee. The bill now heads to a state Senate committee.
What would the bill do?
The bill would prohibit public sector collective bargaining. Teuscher explained that collective bargaining is when an employer and a union come together to negotiate a contract for employees.
"In most of those collective bargaining agreements, it spells out specifically that the union representation is the sole collective bargaining agent, meaning that the public employer is not able to negotiate with anyone else, other than union representatives," said Teuscher.
According to Teuscher the bill would safeguard public resources by prohibiting employees from receiving paid leave for union activities. It also requires unions to pay to use spaces that other groups have to pay for, and to report annually to the labor commission the number of members they have and the money they spend.
The bill also provides professional liability insurance that teachers would be able to opt into.
If passed, the bill would go into effect on July 1, 2025.
"What it doesn't do is it doesn't affect the relationship between any employer or employee in the state that wants to identify with a union, join a union, pay union dues, participate in a union, do union activity," Teuscher said.
What concerns do people have with the bill?
The bill would affect public employees across the state, such as teachers and firefighters, especially those who are members of public labor unions. The bill specifically mentions teachers at multiple points.
Most of the public comments were about the collective bargaining portion of the bill, and this was also a concern for members of the committee. Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem raised concerns about how this would affect teachers being able to advocate for themselves.
Teuscher said the bill would not impact teacher's ability to advocate for themselves and other teachers.
Many of the teachers and others in education who spoke during public comment shared Burton's concern.
"This Legislature should be supporting and uplifting teachers, instead of silencing their voices and weakening their unions," said Sophie Anderson, a student studying education.
Jack Tidrow, president of Professional Firefighters of Utah, shared his concerns that this bill would hinder the safety of firefighters across the state.
Will Coker, who represents the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a national umbrella union for public employees, said there are many people around the state who don't agree with the bill, noting the number of people who came to the hearing.
"It was said earlier that this is a bill that works for everybody. I feel it necessary to point out there's four rooms of employees that it does not work for," Coker said.
What did those in support of the bill say?
Billy Hesterman with the Utah Taxpayers Association spoke in favor of the bill, sharing how collective bargaining can lead to more taxpayer dollars being used than necessary.
"Oftentimes, in these negotiations, the best workers are not being rewarded for their hard work," he said. "Rather, the entire workforce is placing increased pressure on taxpayers so that every public employee can receive additional compensation, whether it was deserved or not."
Cole Kelley, a teacher and Utah State Board of Education member shared that he has been excluded and "bullied" by unions for his entire career in education.
"I've been in the teaching industry for 27 years," Kelley said. "One of the struggles that I've faced in those 27 years, as Rep. Teuscher mentioned, is that my voice has not been heard."
Other people spoke up in favor of the bill, sharing that they believed it would help their voices be heard and improve their work conditions.
