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Utah Senate debate on public union bargaining ban ends in vote, promised changes

Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, speaking Jan. 30, 2025, on the Senate floor, told his colleagues “it’s anticipated” that a substitute version of a bill that bans public labor unions from collective bargaining is coming. Instead, it would allow the practice if unions get a majority of support from all employees.
Martha Harris
/
KUER
Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, speaking Jan. 30, 2025, on the Senate floor, told his colleagues “it’s anticipated” that a substitute version of a bill that bans public labor unions from collective bargaining is coming. Instead, it would allow the practice if unions get a majority of support from all employees.

Update Jan. 31: Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore has introduced a substitute bill that would preserve collective bargaining for public unions. He also circled the bill to give all parties the weekend to review it. Our original story continues below.


After public pushback and a narrow vote in the Utah House, a bill that would rewrite the relationship between public employers and unions landed on the Senate floor to some shaky votes and a promised change.

As it currently stands ,HB267 bans the practice of public labor union collective bargaining.

With concerned firefighters looking on from the Senate gallery, Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore said “it’s anticipated” that a substitute version of the bill is coming Friday.

The new version would allow a public labor union to collectively bargain only if a majority of employees – not just union members – vote for representation. For some school districts, that would mean a union would need hundreds, in some cases more than a thousand, teachers to formally get on board.

The substitution has not been published and Senators voted 18-10 anyway. At least four Republicans said they were opposed to the current version of the bill, but voted yes based on Cullimore’s word. Nothing is a done deal because the body has to vote on it one more time.

Republican Rep. Jordan Teuscher, the House sponsor, and Cullimore argue because not all public employees are union members, some voices are not being heard during negotiations.

During the floor debate, Cullimore claimed that Salt Lake City fire, police and several local education unions are “neutral” about the unreleased substitute version.

Salt Lake City firefighters listen to the Senate floor debate over HB267, Jan. 30, 2025. The first responders occasionally shook their heads or laughed when lawmakers argued in favor of banning collective bargaining.
Martha Harris
/
KUER
Salt Lake City firefighters listen to the Senate floor debate over HB267, Jan. 30, 2025. The first responders occasionally shook their heads or laughed when lawmakers argued in favor of banning collective bargaining.

Jack Tidrow, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Utah, told KUER he would be neutral if the new bill language is as Teuscher has described it to him. Tidrow told the firefighters who attended the debate that if the bill isn’t substituted, “somebody is lying.”

The Utah Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, told KUER they will not comment until the substitute is published.

Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher, a nay vote, pleaded with his colleagues to slow down and wait until the promised changes are public.

“I'd like an opportunity to hear whether or not the people that actually will face the consequences of this bill have changed their mind and have come around,” he said. “This is not a race. We still have five weeks and a day, and we're already through the House and on the Senate floor.”

Despite strong opposition from public sector employees, the bill has been fast-tracked. It took six days from its House introduction to a final vote that sent it to the Senate on Jan. 27. Democratic Sen. Kathleen Riebe, a teacher with the Granite School District and union member, made a similar request to Thatcher’s. She said the Legislature’s process is that they vote on the bill before them.

“If our good senator wanted us to vote on the bill that's somewhere in the wings, they would have brought that bill to us today,” she said. “We cannot vote on a bill that we don't know about. We are not voting on a promise.”

“This is un-American to not listen to the taxpayers and the good people that protect us,” she said. At this, several first responders in the gallery nodded their heads.

Democratic Sens. Jen Plumb and Kathleen Riebe on the floor of the Senate chamber, Jan. 30, 2025.
Martha Harris
/
KUER
Democratic Sens. Jen Plumb and Kathleen Riebe on the floor of the Senate chamber, Jan. 30, 2025.

Under the version the House passed, public employees could still join unions. However, they’d have to negotiate for better wages and working conditions on their own instead of through a union representative bargaining on behalf of all workers.

Cullimore called this a critical issue and argued that collective bargaining can lead to agreements that “may not reflect the broader public interest or fiscal realities.”

Several Republicans shared a similar view.

Sen. John Johnson said it’s a lose-lose situation no matter which way he votes. If he votes for it, then he “hates teachers and firefighters and everybody else.” If he votes against it, he’s doing taxpayers a disservice. His priority, Johnson said, is protecting the taxpayer.

“Public sector unions have wielded outsized influence over the very government entities they negotiate with, creating conflicts of interest that harm taxpayers, hinder efficiency and drive up cost without necessarily improving services,” he said.

Banning collective bargaining, Johnson said, would provide workers with more agency rather than forcing them to join a union in order to have a voice at the table. Public union involvement is not currently mandatory and employees opt-in to the organization.

Sen. Brady Brammer focused specifically on education unions. He said the biggest teacher raises came not from the union but from the Legislature and suggested they were standing in the way of educators getting paid more.

“I don't think [unions are] doing the amazing job that you may think they are,” Brammer said. “You could be doing much better on your own than with the union.”

Several senators acknowledged that a significant number of constituents have reached out and the majority oppose the legislation. Members of the public filled up the main committee room as well as three overflow rooms during the bill’s two committee hearings. Most of those who spoke strongly opposed the bill.

“I'm listening to the firefighters, to the police officers and teachers that every day do the toughest jobs,” said Minority Leader Luz Escamilla. “This is a tough job, too, [but] nothing compared to what they're doing every single day. And if this collective bargaining means so much to them, to feel protected, safe and heard, they deserve this.”

Speaking later with reporters, Cullimore defended the decision to move forward before the anticipated new version is public. Since Utah's legislative session is only 45 days long, he said they wanted to keep things moving. Senate President Stuart Adams said he thinks the current version has enough support to pass as is.

Even if a new version is presented, Escamilla said Democrats will probably not be on board as they are concerned about putting any limitations on collective bargaining. She noted her caucus has not been included in discussions about the substitute.

Martha is KUER’s education reporter.
Saige is a politics reporter and co-host of KUER's State Street politics podcast
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