Voices: Unions benefit employers and workers. Utah’s history proves it.

Labor victories over the last decade, like the recent triumphs of Air Canada’s flight attendants and Park City’s ski patrollers , have increased interest among workers in unionization. They have also spurred a backlash.

In Utah, this was evident in the passing of HB267 , which banned public sector collective bargaining. Legislators who support the anti-union position of wealthy employers like Vail Resorts and of special interest groups like ALEC and the Heritage Foundation appear determined to make it as difficult as possible for their constituents to form or join unions.

Instead, they should think far more about why ordinary folks want to do so. Certainly, workers are attracted to the higher wages and better benefits that come with union successes. But they also want to have an ef