So is most of Hollywood. Because of the Writers Guild of America strike, prime-time television is a wasteland of reality dance-offs. The Golden Globes were canceled. The Oscars are at risk.

That's the power of one union.

Then there's Utah, where union is a dirty word, bad for business, a communist concept and easy scapegoat for conservative Utah politicians.

But while lawmakers treat most unions with indifference, one union makes them apoplectic - the Utah Education Association.

It's no surprise a few teachers have banded together in the Utah Council of Educators, a sort of anti-union that will collect dues but not engage in nasty collective bargaining for teacher pay and benefits. More importantly, President Dave Barrett wants to "make friends" with lawmakers.

Conservative legislators welcome the new "union." They acknowledge some tension with the 18,000-strong UEA. Pro-voucher Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, calls it "history" or "baggage."

I'd call it a rap on the knuckles: A bunch of mostly female teachers took lawmakers to democracy school during the 2007 private school voucher referendum.

The bad blood, of course, goes deeper.

"UEA is a force to be reckoned with," says Audry Wood, Utah Public Employees Association director.

Teacher demographics are like the rest of the state: i.e. Republican. But on the whole, Democratic candidates have been better advocates for public education. So when UEA started giving more donations to the minority party, lawmakers retaliated by cutting off the union's ability to collect dues through payroll deductions. Last week, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that Utah's law limited teachers' free speech.

It's not enough to strangle the union's funding. Trendy education reform ideas - private school vouchers, merit pay for science teachers and open enrollment - are delivered with a sneer and a jab at the union. Last year, Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble and House Speaker Greg Curtis groused that UEA leaders didn't kiss their rings in thanks for a bump in per-pupil spending.

Now, UEA is tagged with killing private school vouchers and revealing many lawmakers for the out-of-touch representatives that they are.

So, like the 1,000-member American Federation of Teachers Utah chapter and fledgling Utah Teachers United, Barrett and a few self-serving teachers have jumped. Of course, they will continue to benefit from all of UEA's work. But legislators will like them.

In the end, it won't matter. Despite lawmakers' best efforts to marginalize UEA, the union still represents most Utah teachers.

"They do a very effective job. We still will have to deal with UEA," says Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich.

walsh@sltrib.com