SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that’s been bashed by critics as “union busting” is moving forward once again in the legislature.
“To organize in a labor union is a fundamental American right. To take that right away is un-American,” remarked one of the dozens who stepped up for public comment.
Concerned police officers, educators and firefighters filled not just the committee room, but also the hallways and three overflow rooms in the state senate building Wednesday. The large majority spoke in opposition to House Bill 267.
“This only works if an association or a city or a government wants to work with you,” said Joe McBride, president of the Salt Lake Police Association.
The bill would prohibit collective bargaining for public sector unions, with supporters calling it a common-sense set of reforms.
“I believe this creates accountability, transparency and protects Utah’s taxpayer dollars and resources,” said Kevin Greene, who serves as state director for AFP-Utah.
Sponsoring Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-South Jordan) maintains that those unions could still carry on under the bill’s provisions.
“We added language in this first substitute that made clear that they’d be able to come in and represent…and they’d be able to enter public property to be able to do that,” said Rep. Teuscher.
But local labor lawyer Lauren Scholnick feels its passage could spell the end for those organizations.
“If the union can’t be the collective voice, no one would pay union dues, no one would the join the unions and they would fall away,” said Scholnick.
It snuck out of committee by a 4-3 margin, leaving opponents to hope that the Senate will protect their groups, which some say are like families for workers.
“If all employers took care of their people, we wouldn’t need unions,” noted another public speaker.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall was among those who spoke out against the bill Wednesday. In a statement, she pointed out that 60% of the city’s approximately 4,000 public workers are union members, going on to say she stands with them and their right to advocate for themselves.
House Bill 267 could be heard by the full Senate as soon as the end of this week.
