- The Protect Utah Workers Coalition is working on a referendum to repeal HB267 which bans public sector collective bargaining.
- The group is launching a signature collecting effort on Saturday to get the referendum on the ballot in 2026.
- HB267 was one of the first bills signed by the governor and was one of the recent legislative session's most controversial bills.
After a bill to ban public sector collective bargaining was signed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox last month, a coalition of labor unions is working to get a referendum on the 2026 ballot that would repeal the bill.
The Protect Utah Workers Coalition filed an application for a referendum to repeal HB267 on March 8, the day after the legislative session ended.
On Saturday, the group will launch its signature gathering effort for the referendum.
“We will not stand by while workers’ rights are stripped away,” reads a statement from Protect Utah Workers.
HB267 was one of the first bills signed by the governor and was also one of the most controversial bills of Utah’s recent legislative session. Hundreds of public workers came to the Capitol to protest the bill and speak against it during committee hearings.
“The Utah Legislature took away the rights of public workers — teachers, firefighters, nurses, and police — to collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. This referendum challenges the unfair law and allows voters to decide what’s best for Utah,” according to the Protect Utah Workers website.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, who worked with various public labor unions to try to come up with a compromise on the bill. When they couldn’t reach a compromise the Senate went forward and passed the original version of the bill.
Along with banning public sector collective bargaining, the bill would safeguard public resources by prohibiting employees from receiving paid leave for union activities, according to the sponsors. It also requires unions to pay to use spaces that other groups have to pay for, and to report annually to the labor commission the number of members they have and the money they spend.
The bill also provides professional liability insurance that teachers would be able to opt into. It will go into effect on July 1.
The signature collecting process
The group has until mid-April to submit the signatures it collects. After the signatures are submitted, opponents to the referendum will have 45 days to try and convince those who signed to remove their signatures.
By the end of the process, the coalition will need to have 140,748 valid signatures. The number of signatures collected has to represent 8% of active voters statewide, as well as 8% of registered voters in 15 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts.
Protect Utah Workers is holding a launch event for the signature gathering effort on Saturday. This will be a statewide effort with the main meeting location in Murray and eight other meeting points around Utah.
“This is more than just a petition drive. It is a movement to restore the rights of Utah’s public workers and put the power back in the hands of voters,” a statement from the Protect Utah Workers coalition reads.
During the signature gathering event, volunteers will be instructed on what to do and where to go to collect the needed signatures.
What is the Protect Utah Workers coalition?
The coalition of Utah public labor unions was created as a political issues committee at the end of February.
There are 15 Utah public labor unions that are a part of the coalition, including Utah Education Association, Utah AFL-CIO, Utah Public Employees' Association and American Federation of Government Employees.
The board for Protect Utah Workers is made up of five people from different organizations, including Renee Pinkney, president of the UEA, and Will Kocher with Utah’s chapter of The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
