Utah
Utah Republicans take aim at teachers unions amid political clash over education
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers advanced a bill Thursday that experts say would establish one of the most restrictive labor laws in the country as Republicans seek to curb the political influence of unions serving teachers and other public service professionals.
The GOP proposal would ban collective bargaining across all of Utah’s public sectors — education, transit, law enforcement and more. It would bar labor unions from negotiating on behalf of workers for better wages and working conditions.
Many educators, the state’s most frequent users of collective bargaining, view the bill as way for Republicans to weaken teachers unions and clear a path for their own education agenda.
“The harm of the bill will be borne by public school educators living and working in every single legislative district,” said Sara Jones of the Utah Education Association. “It sends a message that educators don’t deserve a collective voice in their profession, don’t deserve input on their salaries or working conditions or benefits, or don’t deserve a say in the policies that impact their classrooms.”
Teachers unions are some of the most outspoken opponents of Republican policies in Utah and other states where lawmakers have sought to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, expand school choice vouchers and restrict transgender bathroom use and sports participation in schools.
The unions tend to skew liberal, which Republicans argue makes them unfit to represent teachers with conservative political views.
“We need all voices to be heard in the teaching profession, and not just those that align with the union and their political views,” said Cole Kelley, a Republican on Utah’s State Board of Education who teaches high school in American Fork.
Utah state Rep. Jordan Teuscher, a South Jordan Republican, presents his bill seeking to end public sector collective bargaining, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP/Hannah Schoenbaum
State Rep. Jordan Teuscher, a South Jordan Republican who is sponsoring the bill, said collective bargaining agreements often restrict workers from participating in their own contract negotiations, only allowing communication between the union representative and the employer. The bill creates a system in which employers can engage directly with all employees when addressing workplace concerns, he said.
The measure passed the GOP-led House Business, Labor and Commerce Committee in a 11-4 vote with support from some of the state’s most powerful Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Schultz.
State employees could still join unions under the bill, but the unions could not formally negotiate on their behalf.
President Donald Trump has backed policies making it harder for workers to unionize, yet his populist appeal helped Republicans make steady gains among union members in the 2024 election. Republicans have tried to bring some blue-collar workers into the fold, but largely from the private sector, said John Logan, a labor expert at San Francisco State University.
Union members in public service professions across Utah raise their hands to speak in opposition to a bill banning public sector collective bargaining, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP/Hannah Schoenbaum
“Republicans see teachers unions as the main obstacle to transforming public education the way they would like to,” Logan told The Associated Press. “They want the working class on their side, but public sector unions, they don’t have any use for them. Ideologically, they’re just an obstacle.”
Logan said Utah’s bill is “fairly extreme” and would place the state among the most restrictive for public sector unions, along with North Carolina and South Carolina.
Collective bargaining has been banned for decades across all public sector jobs in the Carolinas. The two states have flip-flopped between having the lowest percentage of union workers in the county for the past two decades, with South Carolina currently in lowest spot at 3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In Texas and Georgia, only police and firefighters have the right to bargain. They could not do so under the Utah bill, which also faced opposition from firefighters who worried they would not be able to advocate for proper worker safety without union support.
Courtesy of Utah State Athletics
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball is ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time of the 2025-26 season, checking in at No. 23 with 161 points in the poll. This is the third-straight year the Aggies have been ranked in the AP Poll, the first time in program history that has happened.
Currently sitting at 14-1 overall and an unbeaten 5-0 in Mountain West play, Utah State is the lone ranked team from the league, and is one of just two teams from mid-major leagues ranked this week, along with future Pac-12 mate Gonzaga (No. 9).
The Aggies also made their season debut in the USA Today Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 24. In today’s NET Rankings, Utah State ranks No. 12. USU has received votes in seven of the past eight AP Polls this season.
Utah State spent two weeks ranked last season, peaking at No. 22. In 2023-24, the Aggies were ranked for nine weeks and climbed as high as No. 16 in the poll.
UP NEXT
Utah State will return to Logan next week to host Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season have sold out. Fans can purchase single game tickets for available remaining games here. A waitlist for 2026-27 season tickets is now available here.
FOLLOW
For more information on Utah State’s men’s basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men’s basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.
In his first game since Dec. 29, Vaněček stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced; however, the netminder only allowed one even-strength goal. The Blue Jackets had 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second, nine in the third, and two in overtime. The 36 shots he faced are a season-high for Vaněček.
“Really good, I think,” Tourigny explained. “Tough situation, he didn’t play for a little bit, and came in and the guys did not play their A game in front of him, and he kept us there. I think he did a great job.”
“He was amazing,” Sergachev said of Vaněček. “He held the ground for us. We gave up a little too much, as I said. He was big for us tonight. We just couldn’t get it done for him.”
McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scored Utah’s goals. McBain’s tally tied the game, 1-1 in the first, while Sergachev’s gave the Mammoth a 2-1 lead in the second period.
With Sergachev’s tally, Utah’s defensemen have scored in five of the last six contests as the Mammoth’s blueline continues to deliver. Sergachev has six points in the first six games of the year, two of which were goals.
“There’s a trust from the forwards that we’re going to get it (on net),” Sergachev explained. “Once they saw that we started scoring, they’re going to pass it more. That’s the game plan that we’re trying to execute–every game, pretty much. Every team is trying to stay lower.”
Utah continues the homestand next week and will look to bounce back on Tuesday. However, it’s important for the team to be disappointed from today’s game.
“First of all, you need to sting a little bit,” Tourigny said. “It’s not just about moving on. It’s about learning from it. I think there’s a lesson to learn from that game. Like I said, it’s not a matter of execution or effort. It was a matter of mindset, be ready to play the game the way it should have been played, and our decision with the puck. There’s many things that were not on par.”
Additional Notes from Tonight
- Captain Clayton Keller is on a three-game multi-assist streak and has seven assists, in the last three games. Keller had the primary assist on McBain and Sergachev’s goals. Tonight was his seventh multi-assist game and 14th multi-point game in 2025-26, both of which are the most of any Mammoth skater (per Mammoth PR).
- All three of Utah’s meetings with Columbus have now been won by the road team in overtime by a 3-2 margin (per Mammoth PR).
- McBain opened the scoring tonight with his second point through three games on this homestand (also 1/7 vs. OTT: 1A). Four of his five goals this season have been game-tying tallies (per Mammoth PR).
The Mammoth’s homestand continues Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cheer on Utah’s team at Delta Center! Tickets are available here.
Upcoming Schedule
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Five vehicles collided with a piece of exercise equipment on I-15 near the Arizona-Utah border on Friday, according to Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department.
At around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, fire personnel responded to an incident involving five vehicles on I-15 Southbound at Mile Marker 17. Crews arrived on scene to find “slightly used exercise equipment” in the middle of the road, officials said.
A total of 14 people were involved in the collisions, though only one was taken to the hospital, St. George Regional, as a result.
“Please drive defensively; Keep your eyes on the road,” a social media post from Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire states.
No further information is available at this time.
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