HB267 was signed by Utah’s governor last month and goes into effect July 1.
It bans public unions from collective bargaining — a process where an employer and a union negotiate wages, benefits and other aspects of worker compensation. Under the law, new labor organization employees will also be excluded from participating in Utah Retirement Systems, which provides retirement and insurance benefits to public employees.
Sponsor Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, said the HB267 is about “safeguarding public resources.” He said it’s an effort to guard public resources from subsidizing union activities.
However, the legislation faced public outcry, with thousands of teachers, police, firefighters and community members flooding Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers not to pass the proposal.
“For every negotiated contract, everybody benefits, regardless of if they are members of the bargaining agent,” Utah Education Association President and former Park City School District teacher Renée Pinkney said. “So what we are trying to do is to allow we, the people, to vote in a referendum to have a voice in this harmful legislation.”
That’s Utah Education Association President and former Park City School District teacher Renée Pinkney.
Utah labor unions first attempted to launch the referendum effort Wednesday. However, the Lt. Governor’s Office rejected the petition the same day, saying unions must wait to file until after the 2025 legislative session ends Friday night.
Pinkney said the coalition of public unions will refile Saturday, the day after the legislative session ends. The group is trying to get the referendum on the 2026 ballot.
The coalition has 30 days to gather and submit signatures after the referendum launches. Supporters must gather almost 141,000 signatures — 8% of all registered voters in Utah — and meet the same threshold in 15 of the state’s 29 counties.
“We're just rounding up to 147,000 for a buffer we're looking at well over 200,000,” she said.
She said the coalition, which includes UEA, the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association, the Utah Public Employees Association and more, has been organizing for weeks.
“We have a plan in terms of having launch sites and having people who are located across the state where we can communicate with our volunteers, and every labor union who has joined with us will have their volunteers, and it's going to be a huge effort,” Pinkney said.
As Pinkney lives in Park City, she said locals will likely see her gathering signatures.
If the signature threshold is met, HB267 will be put on hold until voters determine its fate.
