Union groups in Utah submitted more than 300,000 signatures last week for a referendum to overturn the controversial House Bill 267.
Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill into law in February, banning public employers from recognizing labor unions as bargaining agents. The Utah Education Association, which played a leading role in the signature-gathering effort, warned the bill would silence workers who depend on unions to advocate for fair wages and better working conditions.
The public sector pushed back last week when they submitted twice the number of signatures required to get HB 267 on the ballot in 2026.
During his monthly press conference Tuesday, Cox applauded their efforts.
“I want to congratulate them for their signatures," he said. "It takes a lot of work — I know, as someone who's worked hard to gather signatures over the years. And to get 300,000 signatures is very impressive.”
The Lieutenant Governor's Office now has until June 21 to verify the submitted signatures. Once verified, the referendum will be officially certified, and the law will be placed on the November 2026 general election ballot. Voters will then have the opportunity to approve or reject the law. If the majority votes to reject it, HB 267 will be repealed.
Cox noted that while he didn’t fully support the bill when it passed, there are no current plans to revisit it in the Legislature’s May special session — meaning the fate of the bill could rest solely in the hands of voters in 2026.
“I also want to be clear — I believe in parts of this bill. There’s no question about it," he said. "I sign lots of bills I don't like for lots of different reasons .... Look, I tried to get a compromise done. They were unable or unwilling — depending on who you believe and who you listen to — to get that done. And so those are the consequences.”
He added that collective bargaining is already rare in Utah and that, for many districts and departments, the bill won’t change current practices.
“I fully expected that we would have a referendum on this," Cox said. "And I think that's healthy — I really do. I think it's good for our democracy, for our republic …. I do like referendums because it is a check on the legislative power. It's a powerful check. It can only be used rarely when there's significant backlash — which is how it should work. And in this case, it's working.”
But while Cox praised the signature effort, he said whether or not it actually signals broad public support remains to be seen.
