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Utah unions will attempt to repeal HB267 ban on collective bargaining for public workers

Firefighters raise their arms in solidarity during a protest against HB267, a bill that limits collective bargaining for public unions, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
Bethany Baker
/
The Salt Lake Tribune
Firefighters raise their arms in solidarity during a protest against HB267, a bill that limits collective bargaining for public unions, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

Utah labor unions said Wednesday they will run a ballot referendum to repeal Utah’s anti-public union bill, which Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law last month. However, the initial attempt was rejected.

If labor unions manage to get the referendum on the 2026 ballot and a majority of voters side with it, the effort would upend South Jordan Republican Rep. Jordan Teuscher’s HB267, which prohibits public employee unions from collectively bargaining with their government employers.

“We have a coalition made up of various labor organizations who are filing this referendum because we believe that our legislators and our governor did not listen to the overwhelming public outcry,” said Renee Pinkney, president of the Utah Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

“We believe that the people should have a voice and should be able to vote to repeal this legislation,” she continued. “We believe that the public is on our side.”

The bill that goes into effect May 7 instead requires government agencies — like fire departments, police departments and school districts — to negotiate contracts directly with employees, not bargain with union representatives.

Carlos Vasquez, with Teamsters Local 222, said public employees make up a small part of the union’s membership, but other members in organized labor are rallying to support those who are impacted.

“The employers didn’t ask for this,” Vasquez said. “Our employees want [the union]. They wanted the contract. The only people that took it upon themselves to do something about this was the state Legislature, and when we spoke to them, they didn’t listen. This is our opportunity to take it back to our membership and to the public in general, and give them a chance to speak on the matter.”

The initial attempt to file the referendum paperwork Wednesday hit a snag, when the lieutenant governor’s office rejected it, because referendums can’t be filed until after the end of the legislative session, which concludes Friday.

Organizers say they will refile the paperwork after the session ends.

Read the full report at sltrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.