A teachers’ union is a labor union (an organized group of employees) that represents teachers or educators in contract negotiations (for salaries, tenure, paid time off, and other terms of employment) with schools or school districts. Teachers’ unions are said to engage in collective bargaining—bargaining or negotiating on behalf of all teachers—rather than individual teachers negotiating their own employment terms.

The rights of workers to form unions, strike, bargain collectively, and engage in other work-related activities are provided by the federal statute known as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (NLRA). The NLRA also prohibits unions from trying to force workers to join a union and prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who exercise their union rights.

The NLRA supersedes many state laws but it does not apply to employees in the public sector—including public school teachers. Some states have laws that prohibit collective bargaining for public employees (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia) and many states have laws that make it illegal for public employees to strike.

In Utah, teachers' unions operate within the context of state statutes that govern public sector employees, as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (NLRA) does not apply to public school teachers. Utah allows collective bargaining for public employees, including teachers. The Utah Public Employee's Collective Bargaining Act provides a legal framework for union activities, allowing teachers to organize and negotiate contracts with school districts. However, while collective bargaining is permitted, there are certain restrictions on the activities of public sector unions in Utah. For instance, strikes by public employees are generally prohibited. Teachers' unions in Utah can negotiate on a range of employment issues, but they must do so within the constraints of state law, which aims to balance the rights of employees to organize with the need to maintain uninterrupted public services.