Members of the UA Local 140 Plumbers, Pipefitters, HVAC&R union march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Over the weekend, volunteers around the state began collecting signatures in hopes of prompting a referendum that will overturn a controversial bill passed this legislative session prohibiting public unions from collective bargaining.
At the same time, the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity kicked off its “Decline to Sign” campaign, which it hopes will counter the effort to overturn HB267.
Narrowly passing the Legislature before it was signed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in February, HB267 restricts public unions — which represent teachers, police officers, firefighters, municipal workers and other public employees — from negotiating terms of employment with their employer.
For instance, once the bill takes effect on July 1, a teachers union will no longer be able to negotiate with a school district.
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Although it passed, the bill received broad pushback from lawmakers, members of the public and union advocates, who worried the eradication of collective bargaining could lead to stagnant wages and unsafe working conditions. Even though unions representing Salt Lake City’s fire and police departments, and a number of school districts, were the only entities collectively bargaining in the state, labor advocates said having it as an option was important leverage.
Now, a coalition called Protect Utah Workers is collecting signatures from registered voters, the first step in a referendum. By April 16, they hope to deliver at least 200,000 signatures to the lieutenant governor’s office — if they’re successful, voters will decide whether HB267 should be overturned during the next general election.
Accusing special interest groups of spreading misinformation related to HB267, the Utah chapter of Americans for Prosperity is urging Utahns not to throw their signatures behind the effort.
“The messaging that they need these collective bargaining rights when so many are already not using it, is just fundamentally wrong,” said Americans for Prosperity-Utah state director Kevin Greene, pointing to other school districts, fire and police departments, and municipalities that don’t collectively bargain and haven’t seen stagnant wages or unsafe work environments.
Signature gathering underway in push to overturn ban on collective bargaining for public employees
Greene’s group pushed for reforms and restrictions on public sector unions in its list of legislative priorities leading up to the session, and was among the handful of voices, often outnumbered, that supported HB267 during the public comment period of legislative committee meetings.
“Decline to Sign,” which went live this weekend, is a petition and public awareness campaign that will include radio and digital advertisements with a simple message, according to the website: “Don’t sign the referendum — stand for accountability!”
The petition is just meant to show support for the bill, and cannot change or enact policy like a referendum would.
“We’re just trying to educate the public,” said Greene. “The referendum groups are going to be talking to people about what they think the bill does, and so we just want to be the counter force — giving the highlights on how this protects taxpayer resources, how it doesn’t create unsafe working conditions or prevent good wages.”
The bill sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, said HB267 was meant to protect taxpayer dollars while giving all public employees a voice, not just union members. Greene echoed Teuscher on Tuesday when explaining his support for the bill, telling Utah News Dispatch that it creates a “level playing field” for public employees who aren’t union members.
“It ensures that taxpayer resources and money are protected,” Greene said.
In a statement, the Protect Utah Workers coalition said it was “not surprised that big-money, out-of-state special interests are trying to silence the voices of Utah’s police officers, teachers, nurses, and other public workers.
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“Instead of letting Utahns decide, these groups are working to shut down a fair and democratic process,” the statement reads. “This law is not about saving taxpayer money. It is about silencing those who fight for safer workplaces, fair wages and better public services.”
The bill was incredibly unpopular among teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, who spoke out during committee meetings, launched a petition that garnered nearly 15,000 signatures, and gathered in the loudest and largest protest inside the Utah Capitol this year.
But Greene said the most unhappy voices are often the loudest.
“You always see more on the opposition side, it’s easier to get upset or to get angry about an issue,” he said. “There’s definitely support for the bill. I think we’re seeing that now.”
When asked about the petition on Tuesday, Ben Jordan, a chemist and member of the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, called it another example of national conservative organizations pushing policies that Utahns don’t support.
“This is not a Utah solution,” Jordan said. “This is out-of-state conservative groups coming in and pushing their agenda to upset public workers.”
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