Utah governor signs collective bargaining ban for teachers, firefighters and police unions

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's Republican governor on Friday signed a collective bargaining ban that experts are calling one of the most restrictive labor laws in the country, despite overwhelming opposition from union members.

Beginning July 1, unions serving Utah teachers, firefighters, police officers, transit workers and other public employees will be banned from negotiating on their behalf for better wages and working conditions.

Gov. Spencer Cox announced his decision Friday evening following a week of rallies outside his office in which thousands of union members from the public and private sector urged him to veto the bill. The Republican-controlled Legislature had narrowly approved it last week after its sponsors abandoned a proposed compromise that would have removed the outright ban.

“I’m disappointed that, in this case, the process did not ultimately deliver the compromise that at one point was on the table and that some stakeholders had accepted," Cox said in a statement announcing he had signed the bill.

The measure did not pass with veto-proof margins, meaning that if Cox had rejected it, Republican supporters would have needed to pull in more support to override his veto.

Utah joins North Carolina and South Carolina as the most restrictive states for public sector unions, said John Logan, a labor expert at San Francisco State University.

Many educators, who are the state’s most frequent users of collective bargaining, view the new law as way for Republicans to curb the political influence of teachers unions and clear a path for their own education agenda.

Its GOP sponsors argued it was needed to allow employers to engage directly with all employees, instead of communicating through a union representative.

The Utah Education Association, the state’s largest public education employees’ union, criticized Cox for ignoring the many workers who urged him to issue a veto. The union is exploring a possible ballot referendum to try to overturn the law, though the effort would come with a high price tag.

“Despite overwhelming opposition, Governor Spencer Cox and the Legislature ignored the voices of thousands,” the union said in a statement. “This is a blatant attack on public employees and our right to advocate for the success of our profession and students.”

Cox's decision comes as President Donald Trump is working to gut the U.S. Education Department to the greatest extent of his power by slashing spending and pressuring employees to quit.

The governor signed another bill Friday prohibiting transgender college students from living in dorms consistent with their gender identity.

Students at the state’s public colleges and universities will only be allowed to enter or live in a gendered space, such as a dorm building, locker room or bathroom, that corresponds with their sex assigned at birth. It's the first transgender restriction explicitly aimed at university housing, though some states have broad bathroom laws that could be interpreted to apply to dorms.

Union members attend a rally at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

Union members attend a rally at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

Professional firefighters of Utah members Donavan Minutes, left, Branden Cresencia and Bennett Lloyd chant during the Solidarity Rally in opposition to "HB 267 Public Sector Labor Union Amendments" at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

FILE - Utah Gov. Spencer Cox listens to a question at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via AP, Pool,File)

Union members attend a rally at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)