On Friday, hundreds of UEA members dressed in red filled the Capitol rotunda as a union leader led the crowd in chants from a speaker calling on Gov. Spencer Cox to veto the recently passed union bill and reaffirming their commitment to the union’s collective bargaining process.
The crowd’s shouts of “Veto, veto, veto” echoed, filling the rotunda in the center of the building. Most of the group was comprised of Utah Education Association members but there were a few firefighters and other public workers scattered throughout the crowd.
This protest comes just one day after the Senate voted to pass HB267, which bans public labor unions from participating in collective bargaining. The chants are focused at Cox as he is the only thing standing between the bill going into law.
Cox’s office issued a statement later Friday.
“The governor received the bill this afternoon while he was off the hill, and will be reviewing the legislative details as soon as possible,” according to the statement.
HB267 has been one of the most controversial bills of the 2025 legislative session.
Those in the crowd carried signs with messages such as “public unions keep government honest,” “show up for teachers,” “veto hb267″ and “kill hb267 not our unions.”
Throughout the protest, demonstrators rotated between a number of chants including “Our union united will never be divided,” “Veto now, veto now, veto now” and “Solidarity forever, our union makes us strong.”
Shortly after the bill was passed Thursday the UEA released a statement sharing the organization’s disappointment in the passing of HB267.
“Despite hearing from thousands of public-sector workers and supporters, the majority of Utah lawmakers refused to hear us,” the statement read. “Instead, they chose to pass this highly unpopular and unnecessary legislation that undermines the rights of educators and other public employees across the state.”
The statement also urged Cox to veto the bill.
“Gov. Cox has repeatedly stated that he is a proud supporter of teachers and public educators — this is his chance to prove it,” the statement said. “We call on him to show up for teachers, listen to public employees and reject policies that weaken our ability to advocate for fair working conditions and quality public services.”
Friday’s protest at the Capitol was a reiteration of the statement made by the UEA.
The bill applies to public sector unions across the state for not just teachers but also firefighters, county and city workers, and nurses. Over the past few weeks as the bill moved through the legislature, teachers were consistently among the most vocal in opposition to the bill.
The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, and Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore, R-Draper, worked with unions throughout the process to come up with a compromise. But after they weren’t able to reach a consensus, the lawmakers decided to pass the original version of the bill, banning collective bargaining.
Teuscher and Cullimore emphasized multiple times throughout the process that the bill does not get rid of unions, or make it so public employees can no longer join labor unions.
Contributing: Brigham Tomco
