Governor Spencer Cox’s public statements on Friday, March 7, are misleading Utahns about why public employees lost our collective bargaining rights. The truth is simple: the UEA worked in good faith to engage with state leaders, but legislative leadership refused to listen.
FACT: The UEA lobby team made multiple attempts to meet directly with Governor Spencer Cox. He refused. Instead, UEA met with his senior advisors and provided a clear explanation of our position and the process we had engaged in.
Timeline of UEA’s Engagement with the Governor’s Office:
- February 7: UEA met with a senior adviser.
- February 11: UEA updated the Governor’s Office that SB 168 would be used as a vehicle to resurrect Sub 3 of HB 267. This allowed the governor to support the compromise bill and veto the ban on collective bargaining.
- February 11: Multiple unions, representing thousands of public employees, communicated their support for Sub 3 to the governor’s office.
- February 14: Gov. Cox signed HB 267 Sub 1 into law.
FACT: The UEA was neutral on HB 267 Sub 3 and acted transparently throughout the process. UEA confirmed our neutral position with the bill sponsor on February 4 and in person with Senate leadership in meetings on February 4 and February 5. UEA never changed our position of neutral. Five other unions rejected the substitute bill.
The governor knows this. Legislative leadership knows this. These facts were clearly documented, yet state leaders are now blaming UEA and misrepresenting the truth.
If this law is not overturned, public employees will permanently lose their right to negotiate their pay and working conditions. This isn’t just about unions. It’s about ensuring that the people who teach our children, protect our streets, and care for our communities have a voice.
"Educators, police officers, nurses and other public workers don’t deserve to have their voices silenced by politicians. Utahns believe in fairness and accountability. That’s why we’re launching this referendum,” said UEA President Renée Pinkney. “The people, not politicians, should decide the future of public workers’ rights."
The power is in the hands of the people. The legislature ignored public employees. The governor refused to stand up for them. Now, Utahns must take action. Sign the referendum. Gather signatures. Protect public workers.
Visit ProtectUtahWorkers.com to volunteer and make your voice heard.
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