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utah Repealed a collective bargaining ban passed earlier this year that barred labor unions serving teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees from negotiating on behalf of their workers.
republican Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday approved repealing the policy that experts called one of the most restrictive labor laws in the country.
Republican-control of the state Legislature The policy, originally approved in February, stated that it was necessary to allow employers to connect directly with all employees rather than communicating through a union representative. Thousands of union members from the public and private sector rallied outside Cox’s office for a week, urging him to veto the bill, which he decided to sign.
Protests continued in the months after it became law, with the Legislature ultimately deciding to overturn it during a special session this month.
The original House sponsor, Republican state Representative Jordan Teucher, said the repeal “allows us to step back, lower the temperature, and make room for candid and more constructive dialogue.”
He said it was a “good policy” that was “overshadowed by misinformation and unnecessary division.”
The decision comes as Utah Republicans prepare to defend their four U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterm elections under a new congressional map that creates a heavily Democratic-leaning district. salt Lake City Area.
The repeal helps Republicans appease many police officers and firefighters — groups that are often conservative — who were frustrated by the ban.
Under the bill state employees were still allowed to join unions, but unions could not formally negotiate on their own behalf for better wages and working conditions.
Many public teachers, who are the heaviest users of collective bargaining in the state, saw the policy as a way for Republicans to weaken teachers unions and clear the way for their own education agenda.
Teachers unions have been vocal opponents of Republican policies in Utah and other states, where lawmakers have sought to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, expand school choice vouchers and restrict transgender bathroom use and sports participation in schools.
Union leaders celebrated the repeal and the work of their members mobilizing to protest the law.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Utah chapter leader Brad Essay called the repeal “a historic step in the right direction to return respect and dignity to Utah’s workers.”