The Utah Senate narrowly passed a bill mired in controversy Thursday that strips public sector unions of their ability to collectively bargain. Lawmakers who supported HB267 say it will give a greater voice to public employees,

Labor unions that serve teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees in Utah will no longer be able to negotiate on behalf of their workers under a bill that has received final legislative approval.

The first version of HB267 completely prohibited public sector collective bargaining, but on Friday changes were made to the bill that made it so unions could collective bargain if they had a majority of all employees vote for them. The new substitute of the bill brings back a complete ban on collective bargaining.

A bill that strips public employee unions of collective bargaining rights passed the Utah State Senate on a close 16-13 vote.

A bill banning collective bargaining for Utah’s public employees is now headed to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature.

In other news, several Utah businesses closed on Monday as a show of support for immigrants amid mass deportation efforts by President Trump.

Public employees and union leaders left the Senate on Thursday in shock, and a few of them in tears, after the Senate voted to pass a labor bill that would ban public sector collective bargaining. HB267 passed through the Senate late Thursday by a vote of 16-13. The bill will now go to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk.

Utah legislators abandoned efforts Wednesday to compromise on HB267, restoring a sweeping proposed prohibition on collective bargaining for public employees in the latest bill draft.

The Utah Senate passed HB267 Thursday. The bill bans collective bargaining, a process where an employer and a union negotiate wages, benefits and other aspects of worker compensation.

After passing through the state House, a bill that would prohibit collective bargaining for public sector labor unions was advanced through a Senate committee on Wednesday.