SALT LAKE CITY — Union members announced a stunning 130,000 signatures collected so far in their efforts to run a citizen referendum to overturn the Utah State Legislature's ban on public employee collective bargaining.
The groups are halfway through their timeline to collect signatures. They need roughly 141,000 to qualify for the ballot in order to force a public vote on the law.
"We are overwhelmingly excited about it, but it is not enough," said Jessica Bruner with the Utah Public Employees Association.
She said they must collect more than is needed to ensure the signatures are valid.
"Half these signatures could be invalidated with the information being filled out incorrectly, not actually being registered to vote or the handwriting even being illegible," Bruner told FOX 13 News.
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But union organizers said they are feeling optimistic and pleased with the public support they've received across the state so far. On Friday, two big unions representing first responders jumped into the campaign when the Fraternal Order of Police and the Professional Firefighters of Utah announced they would support the referendum.
"We believe that our members and law enforcement professionals should have a voice in being able to advocate for their rights, their benefits," Kevin Murray, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Utah, told FOX 13 News.
Until now, a coalition of labor unions including the Utah Education Association, have been pushing signature gathering. First responders will represent a new voice in the push to overturn the law.
Early in the 2025 Utah State Legislature, lawmakers passed — and Governor Spencer Cox signed — House Bill 267, which bans public employee labor unions from engaging in collective bargaining. Lawmakers who supported the bill have argued that the bill protects taxpayer dollars from being used for union interests.
"They didn’t hear us as this process was going on, so I hope they hear us now. This issue is important for our safety. It’s important for our livelihood. It’s important for our working conditions," said Harrison Long, a firefighter who supports the referendum.
In order to qualify, referendum organizers must hit some thresholds — 8% of voters in 15 of Utah's 29 state senate districts by an April 16 deadline. Then, the signatures are validated by the Lt. Governor's Office and there's a waiting period where voters can have their signatures removed.
Organizers are planning more events to gather signatures through a website they've created in support, ProtectUtahWorkers.com. There is also campaigns being run against the referendum effort. Americans For Prosperity-Utah has launched "Decline to Sign" urging people to not add their name to the referendum effort. AFP-Utah has been running radio ads lately to counter the referendum campaign.
On Friday, the group Utah Parents United announced it would also begin running radio ads and putting up billboards to convince people not to sign the referendum and let the law stand.
"HB267 is a pro-student, pro-taxpayer reform that prevents taxpayer dollars from funding political agendas that don’t reflect Utah families’ values," Utah Parents United President Corinne Johnson said in a statement.
If the referendum does qualify, it would go on the November 2026 ballot — unless Gov. Cox calls a special election sooner.
