With HB267 Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, Sen. Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Jordan Teuscher are using tactics to break our will. Wage earners — specifically public sector and private sector employees — are coming up to the Capitol to make visible overwhelming opposition to dismantling worker rights. Workers repeatedly fill rooms and hallways to be visibly present, to testify in opposition and to support the legislators who listen to us.
But it’s a waiting game; the proponents of this bill continue to get paid our taxpayer dollars as they take away worker rights for representation and fair pay. Each time they send the crowds home it’s harder for them to come back again. They can wear the wage earners down while they’re paid to sit in their legislative chair.
Unions are one of the most important tools to address the disparity of wealth distribution, and a legitimate tool to manage the welfare and way of life for Utahns. HB267 includes provisions that effectively destroy public employee unions in Utah. Key language of the bill takes away collective bargaining rights, which is a fundamental characteristic of a union. These public unions provide training, benefits, mediation and support for employees. Cullimore and Teuscher are going after all of it, and in doing so are going after teachers, administrators, paras, counselors, maintenance, firefighters, police officers, 911 agents, city workers, municipality workers, county workers and state workers.
This is the third attempt by Teuscher to push this form of union-busting bill through the Legislature. Teuscher is doubling down in a multi-year effort to purge unions for public employees, with the intent of weakening labor overall in Utah. The UEA advocated strongly against constitutional amendments that were on the ballot last year, and particularly for an amendment that would have discarded protections for public school funding, which would force education spending to compete in the general fund. HB267 is Teuscher’s retribution.
Teuscher is the boot on the neck of Utahns. The constituents of House District 44 (South Jordan and West Jordan) are responsible for his re-election, so he continues to attack workers rights, public education and Utah voter rights against the interests of our people and state.
Greg Green, South Jordan
