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Utah lawmakers divided over future of public employee labor rights

A firefighter stands in full gear, looking down at the ground, with smoke in the foreground.
Jay Heike
/
Unsplash
Affected groups believe the bill would hurt public services by driving away experienced professionals, particularly in education and emergency response.

Utah lawmakers are locked in a debate over a controversial bill that could reshape how public employees like teachers, firefighters, and police officers negotiate their working conditions.

House Bill 267, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, would bar public employers from recognizing labor unions as bargaining agents. The bill passed in the House by a narrow vote and has now moved on to the Senate.

Sen. Kirk Cullimore, the floor sponsor of the bill, claimed the change would promote fairness, ensuring that all employees — not just union members — would have a say in workplace policies. He argued it would protect individual voices in the workforce.

“So unlike private companies, government agencies do not face competition or profit motives, and their funding comes from taxpayers," Cullimore explained. "Consequently, traditional collective bargaining can lead to agreements that may not reflect the broader public interest or fiscal realities … This bill does not abolish public sector unions. Rather, it currently removes the mandate for collective bargaining in public employee settings.”

But critics see it differently. Groups like the Utah Education Association warn the bill could silence employees who rely on unions to advocate for better wages and working conditions. They believe it would hurt public services by driving away experienced professionals — particularly in education and emergency response.

During a senate hearing, Sen. Jennifer Plumb asked her peers what they were so afraid of, and why they were so intent on taking away the ability of these workers to have union membership. She emphasized how she felt the bill diminished the contributions and sacrifices of these workers.

“I suppose I just don't get it," she said. "And I've tried, I really have, but I feel like their commitment to us and them telling me ‘this hurts me,’ matters more to me than us, as a body, saying it doesn't hurt them. I'll be a ‘no’ on this.”

Sen. Luz Escamilla chimed in with her agreement, saying that she too would be listening to the firefighters and police officers that do these tough jobs every day.

“If this collective bargaining means so much to them to feel protected, safe, and heard, they deserve this," she said. "I'm asking my colleagues to think twice about hurting so many workers that we all depend [on] for our own safety, for the education and the future workforce of our state. And with that, I'll be voting ‘no’ on the bill.”