The Utah State Legislature will hold its annual session beginning on January 18, 2022 and ending March 4, 2022. That is also a CALL TO ACTION for you! As a Utah public employee, you are going to see bills introduced and decisions made in the next two months that will affect your salary, your health insurance, your retirement, even your Career Service status.
A change to “At-Will” status for many state employees’ Career Service designation is being prepared for this year’s legislature to consider. UPEA opposes this action as being unnecessary, even counterproductive to the effective operation of Utah State Government.
Find and review bills that will impact you, using the Utah Public Employees’ Association bill tracker. Help make sure the legislative decisions on these bills are positive and helpful. As a public employee you can, and should, help your elected representatives make the best decisions they can in the interest of their constituents.
Keep updated on important Legislative news through the Utah Public Employees’ Association website, including weekly legislative updates and the UPEA podcast, PEP Squad.
Committees comprised of UPEA members have been working for many months putting together ideas to help the legislature to do just that. The UPEA lobbying team has been working with legislators, helping them understand why these public employees’ generated ideas are in the best interest of the State of Utah and its many and varied citizens.
Salary and benefits, along with the earlier mentioned Career Service status are top priorities in UPEA’s lobbying efforts this year. Your role as a public employee, your hard work, and your contributions to Utah’s success need to be recognized, appreciated, and rewarded. The appreciation shown through a fair salary is especially important in today’s economy with its near record inflation and the pandemic health crisis faced by all of us.
In a related event, on February 9, 2022, UPEA will sponsor a Public Employee Day on the Hill both in person and as a virtual format.
Through all of these efforts, UPEA can help you, as a member, develop a relationship with the elected officials who represent you. As those elected officials get to know you, they will come to value your expertise and input.
In addition, your legislators need to know what they can do to help you better fulfill your responsibilities. They need to know how they can help you to be able to do a better job for the people in your communities. They need to know what you think about changes they are considering.
You can find, even make opportunities, to help those you work with understand the importance of and how to effectively communicate with their legislators.
Click here for suggestions on effectively communicating with your state senator and representative, or review video tutorials from the previous session.