Protect Voter Power on Utah’s Public Union Bargaining Ban

In 2025, the Utah Legislature passed H.B. 267, banning collective bargaining for public employee unions, a move that silences the voices of educators, firefighters, police officers, nurses, and other public workers in negotiating workplace conditions. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law despite later admitting it was not legislation he supported.

Public employee unions responded with unprecedented organizing, gathering more than 250,000 valid signatures in just 30 days to place a repeal question on the 2026 ballot, the largest successful referendum petition in Utah history. The law is now on hold until voters decide.

Legislative leaders are now considering a “repeal-and-replace” maneuver in a special session to avoid the referendum and keep anti-union provisions in place. The Protect Utah Workers coalition has pledged to “hold the line” and accept only full repeal before the election, ensuring that voters, not politicians, decide the law’s fate. Utahns deserve a direct say in whether this law stays on the books. Lawmakers must reject any effort to undermine the referendum and respect the will of the people.

Thanks to @elevate_utah for their collaboration on this issue.