A new Utah law banning public sector collective bargaining passed in March, drawing both support and criticism. On the Overton Window Podcast, Representative Jordan Teuscher, the bill’s sponsor, explains that the ban empowers all workers by ensuring every employee has a voice in negotiations — rather than the small group within a union.

Teuscher explained that under collective bargaining, a union negotiates on behalf of all workers, even when it represents only a fraction of them. “One of the problems that we’ve seen in the state of Utah is that labor unions may have 25, 30, 35% membership... but they represent 100% of workers,” he says. This leaves the majority of employees — often with different priorities — without a say in their own contracts.

The new law eliminates this imbalance, allowing individual workers to advocate for their own needs instead of having a union speak for them. “We want to make sure when you come into those negotiations, especially when you’re negotiating with the government, that we hear all of those voices,” Teuscher says.

Critics claim the ban on collective bargaining is an attack on public employees. Teuscher rejects this narrative, emphasizing that the law benefits workers by preventing unions from monopolizing negotiations.

And it’s not just the legislators saying so.

“There were a number of public workers who came forward and just said, ‘I feel like my voice is not heard in the collective bargaining process,’” Teuscher reports.

He also highlighted the political entanglements of public sector unions, which contribute to candidates who then negotiate with them. “Where else would we allow that sort of conflict of interest?” Teuscher questions. Unlike private businesses that must balance wages with profitability, “the government never goes out of business” and can make deals that ultimately cost taxpayers.

But the legislation goes beyond banning collective bargaining. It also prevents unions from receiving special privileges at taxpayer expense. For example, union employees — those who work solely for unions — will no longer be eligible for Utah’s public employee retirement system. “That just doesn’t make any sense. That retirement system is for public employees,” Teuscher says.

The law also ensures unions pay the same rates for public spaces as any other group. “If we’re going to charge the Boy Scouts of America $50 to rent a room in a school, then the union should pay $50.”

Despite union opposition, Teuscher believes the ban is a victory for public workers and taxpayers alike. “This isn’t an attempt to attack the unions... Everyone should be able to join a union if they want to,” he said, but unions should not have special treatment or be the sole voice in negotiations.

By banning public sector collective bargaining, Utah has shifted power back to individual workers — ensuring that every employee, not just union members, has a say in their workplace conditions.