Utah’s contentious law that restricted public sector labor unions was repealed in a special session. But it was not a unanimous decision. Some in the state’s GOP supermajority voted against the reversal.
The Dec. 9 special session mainly focused on lawmakers’ next steps in the state’s ongoing congressional redistricting fight. But it also gave lawmakers an opportunity to side-step an oncoming battle at the ballot box since union supporters had their own repeal set for the 2026 election.
Republican Rep. Jordan Teuscher, the House sponsor, maintained that the original legislation was “good policy.” But since its passage, he said that the bill has been “overshadowed by misinformation and unnecessary division.”
“This was never the intent behind the bill,” he said on the House floor.
Instead, it was to “ensure that public employees had a stronger voice in their contract negotiations.” He repeatedly said he still sees problems with the state’s unions, and he thinks there needs to be future legislation.
The repeal, Teuscher said, “allows us to step back, to lower the temperature, and to create space for a clearer and more constructive conversation.”
The original restriction on collective bargaining, HB 267, was passed in early February despite strong public opposition. Opponents of the bill filled the Utah Capitol every time it was debated. And every time the bill advanced a step further, firefighters in uniform and public works employees sat in the gallery shaking their heads in disapproval.
In the spring, a coalition of unions started a signature-gathering campaign for a ballot referendum to let voters decide whether to repeal. The groups turned in about 320,000 signatures, more than double the amount needed. That secured the referendum’s spot on the 2026 ballot and also put the law on hold until then.
Since the session, union leaders said they have been meeting with lawmakers to talk about the issue.
Days before the special session, Senate President Stuart Adams and Speaker of the House Mike Schultz said they would repeal the law, with the support of the coalition of unions. Their statement was similar to Teuscher’s reasoning on the floor. Additionally, Teuscher called the move “good governance” and the “Utah Way.”
“Repealing HB 267 doesn't mean that we're abandoning the principles behind it,” he said. “It means that we're choosing clarity over confusion, collaboration over conflict, and long-term stability over short-term noise.”
While Democrats and some Republicans welcomed the repeal of a bill they opposed from the beginning, some Republicans disagreed with stepping back. Nine in the House and one senator voted against the repeal.
Sen. Todd Weiler voted no because some of his constituents who had gathered signatures wanted to keep the referendum on the ballot.
Majority whip Candice Pierucci told public employees that union leaders are “not always representing you in the best way in order to have your best interest at heart.”
She repeated an argument that lawmakers often made as they passed the ban — that the Legislature had at heart the best interest of public employees, like teachers, and was continuously trying to help them despite union pushback.
“Modern unions so often act as gatekeepers rather than advocates,” Pierucci said.
Building off of her comments, Teuscher said he was recently at a town hall meeting where a teacher said, “every time the Legislature goes into session, I am on suicide watch.”
Teuscher said that it couldn’t be the Legislature adding to “this chaos and stress” in teachers’ lives—he said the Legislature fights for teachers and loves them.
“Why would you think that the Legislature is trying to thwart the efforts of teachers? And the answer is, well, that's what I'm hearing from the union, and that's wrong,” Teuscher said. “I think that's part of the conversation that we need to have, is, how can we ensure that the right information is getting to the right sources and really understand that we're all here for the common purpose.”
The public labor unions that had fought the bill celebrated the repeal decision. They saw it as lawmakers listening to the people and the power of the people standing together.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Utah chapter President Brad Asay called the repeal “a historic step in the right direction to return respect and dignity to the workers of Utah.”
“Over 5,000 union activists worked hard to collect more than 300,000 signatures to return a voice at work for teachers and other public employees,” they added. “Because of that effort, we now have a Legislature that has reversed itself and a pathway for collective bargaining in the future.”
Britt Miller, president of Teamsters Local Chapter 222, said the unions didn’t give up anything for the repeal. It would have been more expensive if the fight had continued to next year’s election, but he said the unions were willing to do that.
If the Legislature tries to resurrect a similar bill in the future, another union head, Jerry Philpot, president of the Utah AFSCME chapter, said the overwhelming response of the last time would be “matched or increased.”
As a result of this fight, a coalition of labor groups called Protect Utah Workers formed, said Jessica Stauffer, a nurse and president of Utah Health Workers United. She praised their statewide work.
“This coalition isn't going anywhere, and we're going to continue working as a group.”
Stauffer was excited about the repeal, but “nervous to see what’s going to come. None of us have a crystal ball.”
The bill now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk for his signature.
