Utah Prohibit Public Sector Union Collective Bargaining Referendum (2026)

Utah Prohibit Public Sector Union Collective Bargaining Referendum
Election date November 3, 2026
Topic Collective bargaining
Status On the ballot
Type Veto referendum	Origin Citizens

The Utah Prohibit Public Sector Union Collective Bargaining Referendum is on the ballot in Utah as a veto referendum on November 3, 2026.

A "yes" vote would uphold House Bill 267, which would prohibit public employers from entering into collective bargaining agreements with labor unions.

A "no" vote would repeal House Bill 267, which would prohibit public employers from entering into collective bargaining agreements with labor unions.

Overview

What would the referendum do?

See also: Measure design

If the majority of voters vote "yes" on the referendum, HB 267 would be upheld and go into effect after the election. If the majority of voters vote "no" on the referendum, HB 267 would be repealed.

If approved by voters, HB 267 would prohibit public employers from participating in collective bargaining with a labor organization or union acting as an agent of their public employees. In addition, HB 267 would:

• prohibit employers from granting their employees supplemental paid time off to participate in union activity;
• repeal the Utah Fire Fighters' Negotiation Act;
• make changes to the composition of the Utah State Retirement Board and the Membership Council of the Utah Retirement Systems Administration;
• bar future public employees from entering the Utah Retirement System, which would result in the discontinuation of the system over time, among other changes.

HB 267 would not prohibit public sector employees from joining labor unions or other labor organizations.

What is collective bargaining?

Collective bargaining is the process by which employees negotiate through unions or other chosen representatives with their employer. The contracts decided through collective bargaining, called collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), set the contractual terms and conditions of their employment. Topics considered in such agreements can include hours, salary, benefits, leave policy, and other working conditions. Often, employees pay a fee to be represented and included in the CBA; this fee, called union dues, are what employees pay to be a member of the union.

HB 267 would prohibit public employers from entering into a collective bargaining agreement with a union or other representative of public employees. It would prohibit the renewal or extension of an existing collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization. Bargaining agreements with an expiration date after May 7, 2025, would continue to be valid until the agreement expires.

What do supporters and opponents of the collective bargaining ban say?

See also: Support and Opposition

Supporters of HB 267 say that the law would protect taxpayer money from being subject to collective bargaining. State Rep. Jordan Reuscher (R-44) said, "Really what we’re trying to do is ensure that all public employees have a voice at the table when they’re negotiating contracts and that we’re protecting taxpayer resources. That labor unions aren’t getting access to taxpayer resources." In addition, Utah Parents United said HB 267 "ends collective bargaining, requires transparency in political activity, and stops our tax dollars from funding union business during school hours."

Opponents of HB 267 say the law would be detrimental to public sector working conditions. Protect Utah Workers, the campaign supporting the referendum, said in a statement on their website, "Without collective bargaining, public workers lose their most effective tool for advocating workplace improvements. Safe working conditions and fair wages aren't just good for public workers. They lead to better services and safer communities for all Utahns." President of the Utah Education Association, Renée Pinkney, said, "This referendum is about restoring fairness, dignity and the ability for workers to have a say in their wages, working conditions and futures."

Measure design

Click on the following sections for summaries of the different provisions of HB 267.

Expand All

Prohibition on collective bargaining

HB 267 would prohibit public employers from recognizing a labor organization or union as a bargaining agent of public employees or entering into a collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization or other representative of public employees. It would prohibit the renewal or extension of an existing collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization. Bargaining agreements with an expiration date after May 7, 2025, would continue to be valid until the agreement expires.

Requirement to withdraw from the Utah Retirement System

HB 267 would require that any public employees' association participating in the Utah Retirement System (URS) as of January 1, 2025, must withdraw from the system by July 1, 2027. It would prohibit public employees' associations from enrolling in the URS after January 1, 2025. Employees who were members of any specified public employees' association that was a participating employer with the URS would be permitted to maintain their membership in the system. Any employees hired after their employers' withdrawal from the URS would not be eligible to join. Withdrawing public employees' associations would be required to pay the URS any withdrawal and separation fees to cover the system for employees who are covered by the system.

Repeal of the Utah Fire Fighters' Negotiations Act

HB 267 would repeal Title 34, Chapter 20a. Passed by the Utah State Legislature in 1975, this section of the state code is commonly referred to as the Utah Fire Fighters' Negotiations Act. The entire act would be repealed, including firefighters' right to bargain collectively, the duty of the corporate authority to bargain with firefighters, and the process of arbitration.

Utah State Retirement Board

HB 267 would maintain the board's size and composition but would change the selection process for the school and public employee members. The Utah State Retirement Board is composed of four board members with experience in investments or banking, appointed by the governor. One member is the state treasurer, one a school employee, and one a public employee. The school employee and the public employee are selected by the governor from a list of three nominations submitted by the school employee's association and the public employee's association, respectively. HB 267 would allow the governor to appoint them directly without considering nominations.

Membership Council of the Utah Retirement Systems Administration

HB 267 would change the selection requirements for members of the Membership Council of the Utah Retirement Systems Administration. The administration is composed of 15 members. Eleven of those members must be selected by an association that represents the majority of individuals in a specified group. Those specified groups are school employees, classified school employees, public employees, Public Safety Retirement Systems members, Firefighters' Retirement System members, Public Employees' Contributory Retirement System members, public education retirees, and school business officials. HB 267 would repeal the requirement that those 11 members are selected by such associations. Instead, they would be selected by the Utah State Retirement Office.

Miscellaneous amendments to labor policy

HB 267 would prohibit public employers the ability to allow employees to take additional paid leave to participate in union activity.

HB 267 would require that the Division of Risk Management provide professional liability insurance to public education employees, as well as other public employees, if the division director deems there is sufficient demand.

Text of measure

Full text

The full text of HB 267, which the referendum would repeal, is below:

Support for HB 267

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Kirk Cullimore (R)
• State Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R)

Organizations

• American for Prosperity - Utah
• Utah Parents United

Arguments

• State Sen. Kirk Cullimore (R-19): "More than 99% of all the unions that currently exist today do not do collective bargaining. All the services that they provide their members, the services they provide employees, all the education and training that they do, will still be available."
• Utah Parents United: "Teacher unions are not focused on student success, fair teacher pay, or acknowledging that Utah now ranks second in the nation for starting salaries. Every one of these achievements happened in spite of their opposition. Their push to overturn HB267 isn’t about helping teachers or students—it’s about protecting their power over Utah’s education system."
• State Rep. Jordan Reuscher (R-44): "Really what we’re trying to do is ensure that all public employees have a voice at the table when they’re negotiating contracts and that we’re protecting taxpayer resources. That labor unions aren’t getting access to taxpayer resources."

Opposition to HB 267

Protect Utah Workers is leading the campaign in support of the "no" vote to repeal HB 267.

Opponents

Unions

• American Federation of Government Employees
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• American Federation of Teachers - Utah
• Communications Workers of America Local 7765
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers L354
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
• National Education Association
• Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association
• Sheet Metal Workers L312
• Teamsters Local 222
• UFCW 99
• United Mountain Workers
• Utah Education Association
• Utah Public Employees Association
• Utah School Employees Association

Arguments

• American Federation of Teachers Utah President Brad Asay: "The legislators that voted for this and the sponsors of this bill will pick party and political philosophy over the will of the people. They don’t listen to their people and they don’t listen to their constituents."
• Protect Utah Workers: "Without collective bargaining, public workers lose their most effective tool for advocating workplace improvements. Safe working conditions and fair wages aren't just good for public workers. They lead to better services and safer communities for all Utahns."
• Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney: "This referendum is about restoring fairness, dignity and the ability for workers to have a say in their wages, working conditions and futures."

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls and 2026 ballot measure polls

Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Utah Prohibit Public Sector Union Collective Bargaining Referendum (2026)
Poll	Dates	Sample size	Margin of error	Support	Oppose	Undecided

Harris X	5/16/25-5/21/25	805 RV	± 3.5%	36%	33%	34%
	Question: "The referendum to repeal the law that bans public employee unions in Utah from collective bargaining recently qualified for the 2026 ballot. If the election were held today, would you vote in favor or against the referendum?"

Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

Campaign finance

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2026

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through April 11, 2025. The deadline for the next scheduled reports is September 30, 2025.

Utahns for Worker Freedom registered to support the "yes" vote, which would retain HB 267. As of the last report date, they reported no contributions or expenditures. Protect Utah Workers registered to support the "no" vote, which would repeal HB 267.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$2,218,714.06	$1,238,926.95	$3,457,641.01	$1,295,396.15	$2,534,323.10
Total	$2,218,714.06	$1,238,926.95	$3,457,641.01	$1,295,396.15	$2,534,323.10

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the measure.

Committees in opposition to Prohibit Public Sector Union Collective Bargaining Referendum
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Protect Utah Workers	$2,218,714.06	$1,238,926.95	$3,457,641.01	$1,295,396.15	$2,534,323.10
Total	$2,218,714.06	$1,238,926.95	$3,457,641.01	$1,295,396.15	$2,534,323.10

Donors

The following were the top donors who contributed to the opposition committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
National Education Association	$1,587,976.25	$788,448.22	$2,376,424.47
Utah Education Association	$182,155.00	$143,630.00	$325,785.00
AFSCME	$250,000.00	$0.00	$250,000.00
UFCW Local 99	$100,000.00	$6,584.01	$106,584.01
Utah School Employees' Association	$3,315.00	$18,177.87	$21,492.87

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

House Bill 267 (2025)

On January 21, 2025, State Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-44) introduced HB 267 to the Utah House of Representatives. On January 23, 2025, the House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee advanced the bill to the full house with a favorable recommendation. On January 27, 2025, the house passed the bill with a 42-32 vote, with one representative absent. Forty-two Republicans voted yes, and 18 Republicans and 14 Democrats voted no. One Republican was absent. On January 29, 2025, the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee advanced the bill to the full senate with a favorable recommendation. On February 6, 2025, the senate passed the bill with a 16-13 vote. Sixteen Republicans voted yes, and seven Republicans and six Democrats voted no.

House Bill 267 Vote	Senate			House
	Yes	No	NV	Yes	No	NV
Total	16	13	0	42	32	1
Democratic (D)	0	6	0	0	14	0
Republican (R)	16	7	0	42	18	1

Utah collective bargaining law

See also: Public-sector union policy in the United States, 2018-2023

In 1969, the Utah state legislature passed its right-to-work law. The law established that employers and unions can not require union membership, non-membership, or payment of union dues as a condition of employment. No distinction in the law differentiates between the rights of public sector and private sector employees to form and join unions or collectively bargain.

In 1975, the Utah state legislature passed the Utah Firefighters' Negotiations Act. It explicitly granted firefighters the right to bargain collectively and stated that any employer, including cities and other governing bodies, has the duty to participate in collective bargaining with firefighters' union groups. This point in particular differs from the rights afforded to other public sector employees. Utah employers only have the duty to bargain with firefighters, and not with other public safety or public sector employees.

The most recent legislation, other than HB 267, involving public sector unions was passed in 2024. That year, State Rep. Jordan Teuscher and State Sen. Kirk Cullimore sponsored House Bill 285 which would have changed state statute concerning public unions. It would have made union membership voluntary for employees, required employees to provide written annual authorization for union dues to be deducted from their paycheck, and required that public employers stay neutral regarding union organization efforts. The bill was not approved by either the house or the senate.

Veto referendum ballot measures in Utah

See also: List of veto referendum ballot measures

A veto referendum is a type of citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal a law passed by the state legislature. The veto referendum ballot measure is also known as a popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. Utah is one of 23 states that have a process for veto referendums.

Five veto referendums have appeared on the ballot in Utah: one in 1942, two in 1954, one in 1974, and most recently in 2007. In all cases, the referendum efforts resulted in the targeted law being repealed.

In Utah, bills passed by the state legislature can be put before voters through a veto referendum petition.

• Signature requirement: 8 percent of registered voters on January 1 after the previous general election
• Result of a yes vote: targeted law upheld
• Result of a no vote: targeted law repealed
• Does not allow for veto referendums on emergency legislation
• Successful veto referendum petitions suspend the targeted law until the election

Year	State	Subject	Measure	Outcome for target law
2007	Utah	Education	Referendum 1: School Vouchers	Repealed
1974	Utah	Property	Referendum 1: Land Use Act	Repealed
1954	Utah	Education	Referendum A: Abolishment of Carbon College	Repealed
1954	Utah	Education	Referendum B: Dixie, Snow and Weber Colleges as Private Organizations	Repealed
1942	Utah	Business regulations and Business taxes	Chain Store License Tax Referendum	Repealed

Public sector collective bargaining restrictions in other states

A total of nine states have some form of restrictions on collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) between an employer and a public sector labor unions. CBAs are contracts that determine employment terms and conditions. Two states, North Carolina and South Carolina, have banned collective bargaining agreements for all public sector employees.

Other collective bargaining ballot measures in 2026

See also: Collective bargaining ballot measures

Proposal 3 will be on the ballot for Vermont voters in 2026. Proposal 3 would amend the Vermont Constitution's Declaration of Rights to provide that employees have a state constitutional right to organize and join a labor organization for collective bargaining with their employer. This constitutional right to collective bargaining would include "negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety in the workplace." Proposal 3 would prohibit laws that interfere with, negate, or diminish this constitutional right, including those that ban agreements requiring union membership as a condition of employment (right-to-work laws). The amendment makes no distinction between the rights of public and private employees.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Utah

The state process

A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. This type of ballot measure is also called statute referendum, popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums.

For veto referendums in Utah, proponents must gather signatures equal to 8 percent of the total number of active voters. For referendum petitions, signatures must be collected from each of at least 15 of the 29 counties in Utah equal to 8 percent of active voters.

Signatures for veto referendums must be submitted on a 14-day rolling basis and must all be submitted within 40 days of the adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed.

The requirements to get a veto referendum certified for the 2026 ballot:

• Signatures: 140,748 valid signatures
• Deadline: Within 40 days of the adjournment of the legislative session at which the targeted bill was passed

Details about this initiative

The following is the timeline of the initiative:

• February 14, 2025: Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed HB 267 into law. The bill was set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

• March 10, 2025: The lieutenant governor's office approved the veto referendum sponsored Protect Utah Workers, allowing the group to begin signature collection on March 15, with signatures due on April 16, 2025.

• March 28, 2025: The Utah Public Employees Association reported collecting more than 130,000 signatures.

• April 15, 2025: Signature gathering ended and the secretary of state began verifying signature sheets.

• April 16, 2025: Protect Utah Workers announced they had submitted more than 320,000 signatures to the secretary of state.

• April 28, 2025: As of this date, the Utah Secretary of State had verified 146,480 signatures. Utah Political Watch News announced that the 8% requirement has been achieved in 15 out of 29 senate districts in the state.

• May 6, 2025: Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson (R) issued a temporary stay on the effective date of HB 267, pending the review of submitted signatures for the referendum.

• May 8, 2025: The Lieutenant Governor's Office announced that signature verification was complete. In total, 251,274 signatures had been verified and 73,136 signatures had been rejected.

• June 21, 2025: The Lieutenant Governor's Office issued a press release announcing the veto referendum would be placed on the ballot.

• June 23, 2025: Gov. Cox issued a press release stating that the referendum would be decided during the November 3, 2026 election.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Utah

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Utah.

How to vote in Utah

Poll times

Utah is an all-mail voting state that offers vote centers for voters that choose to vote in person. All vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Utah voters are able to vote in person at any vote center. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Utah, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Utah for at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years old by the next general election. Pre-registration is available for 16- and 17-year-olds. 17-year-olds may vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the general election. Registration can be completed online or by mailing in a form. The deadline to register online or by mail is 11 days before Election Day. After this deadline, voters may register in person at a vote center by casting a provisional ballot and providing two forms of identification.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Utah does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Utah has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Utah allows same-day voter registration at polling places during the 10 days preceding and on Election Day.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must be residents of the state for at least 30 days before the election.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Utah does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a person who commits fraudulent registration is "guilty of a class A misdemeanor" under Utah Code 20A-2-401.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Utah lieutenant governor’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Utah requires in-person voters to present non-photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of May 2025:

“

"Valid voter identification" means: a form of identification that bears the name and photograph of the voter which may include: a currently valid Utah driver license; a currently valid identification card issued under Title 53, Chapter 3, Part 8, Identification Card Act; a currently valid identification card that is issued by: the state; or a branch, department, or agency of the United States; a currently valid Utah permit to carry a concealed weapon; a currently valid United States passport; or a currently valid United States military identification card; one of the following identification cards, regardless of whether the card includes a photograph of the voter: a valid tribal identification card; a Bureau of Indian Affairs card; or a tribal treaty card; or two forms of identification not listed under Subsection (79)(a) or (b) but that bear the name of the voter and provide evidence that the voter resides in the voting precinct, which may include: before January 1, 2029, an original or copy of a current utility bill, dated no more than 90 calendar days before the date of the election; before January 1, 2029, an original or copy of a bank or other financial account statement, dated no more than 90 calendar days before the date of the election; a certified birth certificate; a valid social security card; an original or copy of a check issued by the state or the federal government, dated no more than 90 calendar days before the date of the election; an original or copy of a paycheck from the voter's employer, dated no more than 90 calendar days before the date of the election; a currently valid Utah hunting or fishing license; certified naturalization documentation; a currently valid license issued by an authorized agency of the United States; a certified copy of court records showing the voter's adoption or name change; a valid Medicaid card, Medicare card, or Electronic Benefits Transfer Card; a currently valid identification card issued by: a local government within the state; an employer for an employee; or a college, university, technical school, or professional school located within the state; or a current Utah vehicle registration.

”

Click here for the Utah statute defining accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

See also

2026 ballot measures

View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Utah.

• 2026 ballot measures
• Utah 2026 ballot measures
• Utah elections, 2026

Utah ballot measures

Explore Utah's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.

• List of Utah ballot measures
• Utah Historical Ballot Measures Factbook
• Collective bargaining ballot measures
• Utah State Legislature

Legislative process

Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
• Utah Constitution
• Amending state constitutions

External links

• Utah 2026 Initiative Filings
• Referendum application and full text
• House Bill 267

Footnotes

2026 ballot measures

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