The Park City Education Association is working diligently to gather enough signatures to place House Bill 267 on the ballot next year as part of a statewide movement to repeal the controversial law prohibiting members of public sector unions, including teachers, police officers and firefighters, fro m engaging in collective bargaining.“I feel strongly about supporting public workers, especially teachers and nurses. They didn’t have the opportunity to really weigh in on this. A handful of legislators made this decision, and I think it’s important for the voters to be able to decide and get a wider voice for the issue,” said Heather McFarland, a community volunteer who attended a signature-gathering push at the Smith’s location in Kimball Junction on Thursday.McFarland’s not a teacher or union member herself, but she said she knows people personally who are affected by the bill. That’s why she’s volunteered her time to help with the referendum effort.Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill into law in February despite widespread opposition from unions across the state. Many protested at the Utah State Capitol throughout the general session. The Utah Education Association, the statewide teachers’ union, repeatedly described the bill as a “union busting” measure.Now, union members and supporters aim to collect 140,000 signatures from registered Utah voters to put H.B. 267 on the 2026 ballot in hopes that voters would choose to repeal the bill and restore collective bargaining rights.“We’re trying everything we can to collect the signatures. Again, we hope this works, but if it doesn’t, at least they’re going to know that our voices and the citizens’ voices are heard,” said Diana Sylvester, a McPolin Elementary School interventionist who’s worked in the Park City School District for 23 years.Diana Sylvester holds a sign and chats with a shopper on Thursday. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordSylvester said the Park City Education Association has been meeting at least once a week to coordinate signature-gathering events.“It’s a lot of Zoom meetings, a lot of planning, a lot of emails, a lot of communication and conversation because we’re trying to be strategic,” she said. “We’re constantly talking and trying to get as many people as we can out to collect the signatures and make sure we’re doing it right. We have to all do training to do this because they’re going to try to ding us for anything, so we want to make sure people know what they’re doing and that we present the citizens with the law.”Teresa Oster, a retired educator with a 38-year career in the Utah school system, signed the petition at Smith’s on Thursday. She said public sector employees, especially teachers, already often feel underpaid and underappreciated.“I was in New Zealand when it happened, so I was calling my representatives from New Zealand because I was so upset about it,” Oster said. “The one thing that [teachers] did have was collective bargaining and the union to elevate their profession, and now Utah has taken that away from them, and we’re the only state to do so.”She added that she was worried about the long-term effects the bill might have on education in Utah if it’s not repealed because she believes it’ll make it more difficult to recruit high-quality teachers.“If I were a new teacher graduating, I wouldn’t stay in the state and teach like I did when I graduated from the University of Utah many years ago,” Oster said. “I would be looking elsewhere for that reason. I want to feel like I’m supported by my leaders, by my fellow educators, by the public. Teaching is a very difficult job, and it’s extremely taxing.”The Park City Education Association will be tabling to gather signatures throughout Summit County over the next few weeks:9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 at multiple locations in Kamas. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 at Lucky Ones Coffee in Park City. 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, March 31 at 6280 Snowview Drive in Park City. 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 at 6280 Snowview Drive in Park City. 7 to 7:45 a.m. on Friday, April 4 at the Macy’s in Pinebrook.The deadline to submit signatures to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office is April 12. Petitioners are required to meet signature thresholds in at least 15 of the 29 Utah Senate districts before submitting packets to county clerks for verification. The lieutenant governor will then have 106 days from the end of the legislative session to declare whether the petition is sufficient and should be placed on the ballot.More information on the referendum initiative is available at protectutahworkers.com.The Park City Education Association will be tabling to gather signatures throughout Summit County over the next few weeks. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe post Local teachers’ union works to gather signatures for statewide referendum appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less