Public employee union leaders are making a last-ditch effort to stop a bill that would ban their ability to bargain on behalf of their members and instead are trying to revive a less-damaging option.
House Bill 267, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, would ban government agencies from negotiating with police, firefighter, teacher and public employee unions, and currently sits on the desk of Gov. Spencer Cox. He has until Feb. 19 to sign or veto it.
Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville, said he has agreed to run a milder compromise version of the anti-union legislation that the unions are now
“I had the unions come and talk to me, and I had a bill filed that was for a labor commission and because [HB267] passed, it basically killed my bill because it’s like a 180-degree [difference],” Hinkins said in an interview. “This gives [the governor] an alternative, and gives him an out if he wants it.”
That substitute, at the time, appeared to no longer outright prohibit collective bargaining for public employees, but still required 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.
However, any failures to vote would be counted as “no votes.”
Lawmakers at the time said they ditched the effort because they failed to reach a consensus on the “neutrality” of the revision with union representatives.
Union leaders have reluctantly supported Hinkins’ effort which, although still limiting union involvement, would be preferable to an across-the-board ban.
“I’m going to push it,” Hinkins said. “I hate to see them push [unions] clear out. It’s not fair. ... I don’t know why the state wants to negotiate with these people individually. We’re going to have to hire like 10 times as many people just for human resources.”
“None of us in the unions are ‘good’ with any of this,” said Brad Asay, president of the American Federation of Teachers Utah. The organization, among others, had been involved in negotiations with lawmakers on HB267. “We’re not in support, but we applaud [Hinkins’] efforts.”
Asay added the bill that currently sits on the governor’s desk is “horrible.”
“None of this is the right thing as far as I’m concerned,” he said, “but it is important to keep collective bargaining for public employees.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Firefighters raise their arms in solidarity during a protest against HB267, a bill that limits collective bargaining for public unions, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
Renée Pinkney, president of the Utah Education Association, said the thousand people who turned out last week for a rally at the Capitol, the 16,000 who have signed a petition asking the governor to veto HB267 and the flood of texts and emails to the governor’s office with the same request shows “the public is definitely on our side.”
“We are supportive of any attempts to get the compromise legislation back in play,” she said of Hinkins’ efforts.
Jack Tidrow, president of the Professional Firefighters of Utah, said that “all parties are still working toward a better solution.”
For Hinkins’ compromise to work, Cox will either need to veto HB267 with commitments that the compromise would make it to his desk, or the governor could sign the current bill into law — it would not take effect until July — and wait for Hinkins’ bill to pass and preempt the earlier version.
Senate President Stuart Adams said Thursday that senators are satisfied with the version of HB267 that passed and that he doesn’t see Hinkins’ bill being considered.
“Right now, I’m kind of tired of the issue quite honestly. I don’t think we want to bring it back,” he told reporters. “We learned about it last night but I’ve not seen a lot of appetite to pick this up. ... The people I’m talking to [think] we‘ve got other issues in front of us and we’re moving forward not backward.”
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said Thursday he believes teachers unions have negatively impacted kids in Utah and “I don’t think unions always have what’s best for kids in mind.” Collective bargaining is not widespread in Utah, he added, so the bill is “not as big of an issue as most people think it is.”
“You come back to what’s best for the citizens,” Schultz said. “I’d hate to see a day where all police departments or all fire agencies were doing collective barganing.”
Pinkney said that if Cox signs Teuscher’s bill and lawmakers are not willing to pass Hinkins’ compromise bill, then, as The Tribune previously reported, they are considering the potential of gathering signatures for a ballot referendum to repeal it.
That would require supporters to gather more than 140,000 signatures spread across the state. If they collect enough signatures, the bill would be put on hold until voters decide in the 2026 election if they want to repeal the bill or let it take effect.
Lawmakers had abandoned the draft Hinkins is reviving last week, saying they had failed to reach a consensus on the “neutrality” of the revision with union representatives.
“If there’s not going to be consensus,” Cullimore continued, “then let’s just run it on its face. And I guess whatever happens, happens.”
Senators passed the original version of HB267 Feb. 6. If vetoed by the governor, the Legislature could override the veto, but it would take a two-thirds majority — 50 in the House and 20 in the Senate. The original bill didn’t have that level of support when it passed in either chamber.
“We feel betrayed by the legislative process,” Pinkney said after the bill passed. “We were working so hard on getting some changes to the bill.”
Note to readers • This story has been updated to include remarks from House Speaker Mike Schultz.
