Utah Senate postpones vote on new version of labor union bill until after the weekend

SALT LAKE CITY — A new version of a controversial bill dealing with public sector unions in Utah has been publicly released, but lawmakers will wait to debate and vote on it until after the weekend.

 

“We just want to give everybody an opportunity to review it,” Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, said Friday after the substitute version of HB267 was made available. Cullimore said lawmakers have heard several unions were not going to oppose the bill because of the changes. 

This bill has attracted immense public interest. Opponents of it — which included many union members — packed the Utah Capitol Friday morning, making it nearly impossible to move throughout the hallway outside the Senate gallery.

BREAKING: Utah Sen. Kirk Cullimore just said he wants everyone to read the new version of HB267, so lawmakers will NOT debate and vote on it today. They will pick it up after the weekend. #utpol #utleg @KSL5TV https://t.co/KqKSNix6FZ

— Daniel Woodruff (@danielmwoodruff) January 31, 2025

HB267, which has already passed the House of Representatives, sought to ban collective bargaining – the process of negotiating a contract with an employer – for public unions in Utah. It has attracted strong opposition from the Utah Education Association and other unions, including police and firefighters.

The latest version would water down the bill a bit. It would allow for collective bargaining if more than half of employees vote for a union to represent them in that process. The bill would still mandate that taxpayer money cannot be used to promote a union.

The Senate had been expected to take a final vote on the revised bill Friday but will now wait until at least Monday. Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, had criticized the speed with which the bill was moving forward.

“We have all the time in the world to get this right,” Thatcher said Thursday during debate, adding that voters felt unheard on this issue. “That keeps me up at night … because we didn’t use to be this way.”

Outside the state Capitol Friday afternoon, union members rallied and proclaimed that “the pressure worked.”

“Lawmakers heard us. They heard you,” said Renée Pinkney, UEA president, “and while this fight is not over, it’s a testament to what’s possible when public workers stand in solidarity.”

Pinkney said UEA would review the new version of the bill over the weekend.

Emily Schultz, a fourth-grade teacher at Magna Elementary who attended the rally, said she was optimistic about where the bill was heading. She also said the process had unified teachers.

“I think it’s strengthened our union,” Schultz said. “I think that a lot of us have come together and realized how impactful the union can be and how great it is to have such a great support system.”

If the Utah Senate ends up passing the revised bill, it would have to go back to the House of Representatives for a final vote before heading to the governor’s desk.