Labor unions from Utah and across the country have poured over $2.6 million in cash and in-kind donations to help with the effort to overturn HB267, the controversial union busting bill that stripped collective bargaining rights from Utah’s public employees.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, blocks public employee unions from negotiating with employers over wages, benefits and working conditions. Despite public outcry, the legislation was approved by the GOP-controlled House and Senate and signed by Gov. Spencer Cox early in the 2025 session. However, because it passed without a two-thirds majority in either chamber, opponents can challenge the law through a public referendum.
More than $1 million of the contributions to Protect Utah Workers, a coalition made up of more than a dozen Utah labor unions, are in-kind donations, including travel expenses and salaries for staffers engaged in the referendum effort.
According to financial disclosures, the National Education Association (NEA) and 13 state-level teachers unions have sent or provided remote assistance from staffers since the effort began last month. Many of those staffers traveled from as far as Hawaii, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
So far, the NEA is the biggest contributor to the referendum push, with donations totaling more than $1.8 million. Of that amount, more than $1.5 million funded a paid signature-gathering campaign to get the referendum onto the state ballot.
Other national unions have made sizable cash donations to the referendum push, including $250,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and $10,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
A spokesperson for Protect Utah Workers called assistance from national union members indispensable.
“Because Utah has one of the most challenging referendum processes in the U.S., our coalition couldn’t accomplish this without the support from union partners across the nation," the spokesperson said in a statement to Utah Political Watch. "Nearly 100 individuals have already traveled here to make phone calls, collect signatures, track down packets, and support our local team. Their solidarity is invaluable— we're deeply grateful for their commitment to defending workers' rights and collective bargaining."
Organizers have until April 15 to gather and submit more than 140,000 signatures from registered voters — representing 8% of all active voters in the state. Beyond the statewide total, they must also collect signatures from 8% of active voters in 15 of Utah’s 29 State Senate districts.
If they’re successful, the new law will go on hold until voters weigh in on the issue in the 2026 election.
Until the signature packets are turned in for verification, they’re being held in an undisclosed location with round-the-clock security and monitoring. The NEA has made a $5,100 in-kind donation to help with those efforts.
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