Labor groups in Utah on Wednesday submitted what they said will be enough signatures to qualify a measure for next year’s ballot challenging a new law that bars public sector unions from collective bargaining with state agencies.
Organizers said they submitted more than 300,000 signatures to force the law onto the ballot in 2026, just two months after Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed the measure.
To qualify for next year’s ballot, at least 141,000 of those signatures must be valid; organizers have to collect a minimum number of signatures from at least 15 of the state’s 29 state Senate districts, a threshold organizers said they had met.
“This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. It’s about making sure that the families who keep Utah running have a voice and a vote in shaping its future,” John Arthur, a 6th grade teacher in Salt Lake City, said in a statement released by the Protect Utah Workers coalition, the 14 labor unions that backed the petition drive.
The union activists began organizing the petition drive after Cox signed H.B. 267 in February. The law prevents government employers from recognizing a labor union as an agent for the purposes of collective bargaining. It also prevents paid release time, in which public employees are paid for work they do on behalf of the union.
Read more: Utah Republicans target public sector unions
Supporters of the law say it is necessary to prevent public funds from funding non activities.
“It’s important that public resources are dedicated solely to supporting public services and not subsidizing any union activity,” the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R), said in a committee hearing in January. “I strongly believe that this path will actually get to a place where all voices are heard, that they can have a seat at the table, and that we’ll have better working conditions across the board.”
Union leaders and members flooded the capitol in Salt Lake City with thousands of emails, letters and phone calls. In a press conference last month, Cox said his office had received about 10,000 emails about the bill. He signed it with reservations.
The measure is one of the most pointed attacks on organized labor since 2011, when Wisconsin Republicans approved Act 10, a measure limiting collective bargaining power for state employees. Tens of thousands descended on the capitol in Madison to protest, a movement that ultimately led to an unsuccessful recall attempt against Gov. Scott Walker (R).
Conservative Utah has less of a history of union organizing than does Wisconsin, once an epicenter of the Progressive Era. Today, just 3.7% of Utah workers are members of unions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and only 7.8% are represented by unions.
The signatures now head to Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson (R), whose office must verify they are sufficient to earn the measure a spot on the 2026 ballot by June 21. Cox can call a special election before that date if he chooses.