Utah lawmakers agreed Friday to postpone action on a promised rewrite of anti-public union bill HB267, which dropped about an hour and a half before senators were expected to discuss it. The delay was meant to give union representatives more time to review the changes.
The bill initially aimed to eliminate collective bargaining for Utah’s public sector employees. At about 9:30 a.m., a group of public union representatives waiting outside the Senate chamber first set eyes on the revised draft.
“We can’t tell you what is even good or bad about it, because we don’t even have the time to review it to be able to get [an] analysis,” Brad Asay, president of the American Federation of Teachers Utah, said early Friday. The organization, among others, has been pushing for lawmakers to change the bill.
Asay said at the time that he and others hoped Utah senators would agree to “circle” it — or temporarily postpone any action — so union representatives would have more adequate time to review it.
Lawmakers listened, agreeing to circle the bill a little after 11:30 a.m.
“We just want to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to look at it,” the bill’s Senate co-sponsor, Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Cottonwood Heights, said Friday.
As Cullimore had assured Thursday, the substitute seems to no longer prohibit collective bargaining for public employees, but it would still require a “recertification election every five years.”
That means that to engage in collective bargaining, all of a public agency’s employees, whether they are part of a union or not, would need to vote to “certify the collective bargaining representative.” At least 50% plus one would need to vote in favor.
Asay expressed concern early Friday that nonvoters could be counted as “no” votes instead of only tallying the votes of those who participate.
He added that was a point that union representatives have been pushing to change during negotiations, but lawmakers “wouldn’t budge.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Firefighters look on as the Senate votes on HB267, a bill aimed at banning collective bargaining for public labor unions in Utah, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.
HB267 has sparked dramatic public backlash from many, who argued that nullifying public sector employee unions’ collective bargaining rights would hurt workers and compromise essential public services.
Despite thousands of calls and emails that lawmakers received in opposition to the bill, legislators up until Friday morning had continued to advance the measure.
Several Republican senators on Thursday said they cast “aye” votes with the caveat that their support was subject to change, depending on what, if any, significant substitutions may look like by the time the Senate expects to revisit the bill.
Senate floor time began 11 a.m. Friday, with the decision to circle the bill coming about 35 minutes later.
Before doors opened, dozens of people stood together outside the Senate gallery, collectively singing “Solidarity Forever.” People continued trying to get inside the gallery after doors closed, with law enforcement ultimately letting a group in at about 11:25 a.m.
— This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
