State lawmakers planned to repeal a controversial bill on Tuesday afternoon that prevents unionized teachers from engaging in collective bargaining, eight months after a statewide push gathered enough signatures to place a referendum overturning the law on the 2026 ballot.
“It’s clear that the heated debate around these issues has created unnecessary division, which was never the intent,” said Senate President J. Stuart Adams and Speaker Mike Schultz in a joint statement on Sunday. “Repealing the bill allows us to reset the discussion and move forward to ensure we get this right.”
Protect Utah Workers, a coalition created to oppose the legislation earlier this year, said it supports the Legislature’s decision and thanked lawmakers for preserving “the rights of first responders, educators and all other critical public workers.”
“The expected repeal belongs to the Utahns who stood up and signed the referendum,” the coalition said. “More than 320,000 people who signed the petition sent a clear message that public workers deserve a voice on the job. The coalition thanks legislative leadership for respecting the will of the people.”
The Park City Education Association, the local union chapter of the statewide Utah Education Association, called the pending repeal “a direct result of powerful, member-driven action” in a statement on Tuesday.
“More than 320,000 Utahns and 5,000 referendum volunteers, many of them dedicated UEA and PCEA members, came together to protect the voice of public educators, demonstrating that when we organize, engage our communities and act collectively, we can create meaningful change,” the statement said. “This moment reaffirms that solidarity is our greatest strength.”
The statement continued: “With the repeal, local associations can continue collaborating with school districts to represent educators on issues such as compensation, working conditions, benefits, licensing, prep time, class sizes and the instructional materials our students depend on.”
The Park City Education Association thanked the Park City community for supporting teachers and the referendum effort, saying it encourages “continued involvement as we work together to strengthen public education in Utah.”
State Rep. Jordan Teuscher of Salt Lake County and state Sen. Kirk Cullimore, who represents parts of Salt Lake and Utah counties, sponsored House Bill 267 during this year’s general session. Gov. Spencer Cox signed it into law in February. The bill made engaging in collective bargaining a class B misdemeanor for any public union member.
The Utah Education Association repeatedly described the legislation as “union busting.”
However, union supporters collected more than double the number of needed signatures to repeal the law as part of “the most successful citizen-led referendum in Utah history,” according to the Utah Education Association.
To qualify for a referendum in Utah, citizens need to collect approximately 140,000 verified signatures from registered voters across at least 15 of the 29 state senate districts in just 30 days. The Protect Utah Workers campaign gathered 320,000 signatures by mid-April, with help from the Park City Education Association.
Legislative leadership in a press release said they plan to continue collaborating with Protect Utah Workers “in good faith to find the best approach to support public workers.”
“We’re committed to continuing conversations with all stakeholders to craft policies that support our public employees, protect public funds and keep Utah’s government responsive and accountable to the people we serve,” Adams and Schultz said.