Update: Good News! Thanks to the many collective efforts and hard work, the Protect Utah Workers Coalition was able to collect over 320,000 signatures! The signatures are currently being verified. You can track the progress here.
You should definitely sign the pro-worker referendum
If a friendly volunteer approaches you at the grocery store and asks you to sign a form to support firefighters and teachers in Utah, sign it!
Voices for Utah Children supports this democratic attempt to overturn the legislature’s recent attacks on workers. The overwhelming public disapproval of the anti-worker bill - 80% against! - should have killed it. The fact that the legislature passed HB267 anyway, and the governor signed it, is a clear sign that something is very, very wrong on Capitol Hill.
The obvious contempt and disregard for what the people of Utah want is the primary reason that our organization - usually focused on public policy that helps kids - is supporting this ballot referendum campaign.
Of course we support the public servants and skilled workers who build, protect and enrich our communities. Kids need teachers to learn. They need firefighters to be safe. They need electricians to keep their homes warm and bright. They need their working parents to be protected, paid and treated fairly.
But the most important reason to put this referendum on our election ballot this November is to preserve the fair, transparent and responsive governmental processes the public deserves. Without a responsive government, that actually listens to what the people of Utah want, we can’t accomplish anything new and good for Utah kids.
State legislative leaders are engaged in an epic power grab. The power that they are grabbing belongs to us, the everyday people of Utah. When they ignore public polls and community input, they take our power. When they retaliate against Utah’s independent courts and judges, they take our power. When they make it harder for community groups and advocates to put ideas in front of voters on the election ballot, they take our power. Our power to help children all across Utah is under serious threat.
The people of Utah have told their legislature, over and over, that we want them to invest in the public education of our state’s children. We have directed them, for decades, to use our income tax dollars for public education. Last year, they tried to sneak around our clear directions, through Amendment A, and the Utah Education Association (UEA) bravely stepped forward in opposition to this proposal. HB267 is the legislature’s way of punishing the UEA, and the public school teachers it represents for speaking up and pushing back.
After Amendment A failed, leaders came up with new and creative attempts to take money away from public education. In addition to pumping more money into their flailing school privatization scheme (vouchers), they passed SB37. This seemingly boring and technical tax bill actually directs school districts to give a portion of your local property taxes to the state for the legislature to spend as they wish. Legislative leaders aren’t just undermining the public’s power; they are seriously messing around with the public’s money.
Utah is one of only 26 states that have citizen-initiated ballot measures. In Article VI of our state constitution, the power of the legislative branch is given to our state Senate, House of Representatives, and “the people of the state of Utah.” We are given legislative power, by the state constitution, and ballot measures like the pro-worker referendum are an important way to exercise that legislative power. State leaders are passing laws to punish community organizations that stand up to them (like the UEA), when they should be responding to the concerns of Utahns. The legislature is abusing its power, so we need to use ours.
Please seek out a referendum signature gatherer in your community. Use your signature to tell state leaders that we have a right to be part of the legislative process, too. Push back on the people making it harder and harder for us to speak up for Utah kids!
