The collective-bargaining battle that has engulfed states such as Wisconsin with angry protests and sit-ins may be headed to Utah.

Utah lawmakers want to look at whether the state should ban collective bargaining for all public employees.

They also may raise another explosive topic: private school vouchers.

In a letter to legislative leaders, Education Interim Committee Chairmen Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, and Rep. Bill Wright, R-Holden, requested — and were granted — permission to study three volatile issues: "tuition tax credits" for private schools; the elimination of collective bargaining for public employees such as teachers, state workers and city or county employees; and rules prohibiting public employers from collecting union dues from workers’ paychecks.

"The review of these items is to evaluate what we can do to improve education for Utah children," Stephenson said. "Are there options? Are there things that are happening in other states that are improving education … that we could learn from?"

He said he is "absolutely not" taking a shot at teacher unions.

However, Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, president of the Utah Education Association, called Stephenson’s letter a "three-headed monster."

"It’s nothing more than a concerted national effort to privatize our schools," she said, arguing that the effort is clearly targeting teachers.

Legislative leaders approved studying the issues, with minority Democrats on the Legislative Management Committee voting against the study.

"We’re adamantly opposed to it," said Senate Minority Whip Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, saying Democrats had not seen the request until it was passed out at Tuesday’s meeting.

Others share that opposition.

"It’s a sad day for public employees," said Patty Rich, Utah’s executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), of the union provisions.

AFSCME has a collective-bargaining agreement with Salt Lake City and a less-strong "meet and confer" agreement with Salt Lake County.

"It would silence their ability to negotiate and at least have an honest and upfront discussion about their working conditions," Rich said. "What right do they [state leaders] have to tell local governments whether or not to honor the practice of collective bargaining?"

The Utah Public Employees Association (UPEA), which has 8,000 dues-paying members among state and local government workers, doesn’t participate in collective bargaining, but does collect union dues from paychecks.

"It would be tragic if public employees weren’t able to associate and negotiate their rights, their benefits and their compensation," said Todd Sutton, a UPEA employee representative. "It’s a very important thing for public employees to be able to advocate for themselves."