Busted: What Florida's union busters have been up to | June 2025 (Part 2)
A round-up of reported activity by Florida's anti-union labor consultants and employers in Florida that hire them.
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While Florida isn’t exactly a hotbed for organizing activity, the state (surprisingly or not) happens to be home to some of the most active anti-union labor consultants in the country. Such consultants, described by critics as “union busters,” are hired by employers to convince workers not to form or join a union. Some of these consultants are attorneys, others are not.
These employer-side consultants, also known as “persuaders,” are hired to conduct union “risk” assessments (assessing how vulnerable the employer is to union organizing activity), train management on how to talk down unions (without flagrantly violating federal law), and/or directly persuade employees “to exercise or not to exercise, or persuade employees as to the manner of exercising, the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.”
While this sounds pretty tame on its face, persuaders have been known to use intimidation tactics (and sometimes blatantly unlawful strategies) to persuade workers against unionization — for example, unlawfully surveilling workers or informing them that their pay will go down or they’ll lose job benefits if they unionize. A persuader contracted by Tate’s Bakery up in New York allegedly threatened their undocumented workers with deportation if they voted in favor of unionization.
Ground rules: Under federal law, persuaders are required to file reports with the federal Office of Labor Management Services when they enter into agreements with employers. These forms are known as LM-20s and LM-21s. When filled out correctly, they offer a snapshot of what persuaders are hired to do, and how much money they’re getting out of it. Employers are similarly required to file similar reports (LM-10s) annually, detailing how much they’ve spent on union busting or “persuader” activity.
LM-20’s (detailing a job) must be filed within 30 days of entering into an agreement with an employer, while LM-21’s (detailing payment) must be filed within 90 days after the end of the filer’s fiscal year.
The idea behind these reporting requirements is that workers who are organizing their workplace should have the right to know if their employer has brought in a third-party —routinely paid hundreds of dollars per hour — to “educate” them (as they often describe it) on behalf of the employer.
Here’s what was reported to the feds during the second half of June:
Jollibee, a Philippines-based fast food chain, paid the Orlando, FL-based union avoidance firm the Labor Pros more than $193,000 last year to convince employees in Jersey City, NJ not to unionize with the labor union Workers United. The Labor Pros, contracted by Jollibee last July, were unsuccessful for the record: Workers ended up voting 16 to 12 in favor of unionization anyway. According to a disclosure report filed by the Labor Pros in August, just one consultant, Christopher Catam of Millennium Labor Consulting Solutions in Orlando, was subcontracted for the job. Catam, however, also reports working with consultant Erin Martino of Waltham, MA. The job lasted from July 13 through August 3, 2024, with the Labor Pros billing Jollibee at least $4,000 per day, “plus traveling expenses.”
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded.
Who prevailed? The union.
Payment: $4,000/day or roughly $193,000 total.
Wildine Pierre Barrett, a union avoidance consultant affiliated with Bridge Labor Solutions in Altamonte Springs, FL, was subcontracted by the California-based Crossroads Group in May to convince clerks, truck drivers, data entry operators, and shippers/packers employed by the Brillient Corporation in Lees Summit, MO and Overland Park, KS not to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 778. According to Steven Allen Beyer, a “partner” with The Crossroads Group, Barrett was one of three subcontractors his firm enlisted in May (including himself) at a rate of $475/hour to “[p]rovide presentations, prepare written materials, and conduct meetings with employees” regarding an ongoing unionization effort. According to the National Labor Relations Board, Brillient employees in MO had their union election on June 30, but results haven’t been publicly posted. I don’t see a matching petition for a union election in KS.
Ongoing or concluded? Ongoing.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: $475/hour, per consultant, “plus reasonable and customary expenses.”
Richard Scott Michel, a labor consultant from Pennsylvania, was subcontracted by Russell Brown of RoadWarrior Productions (a union avoidance firm in Satellite Beach, FL) in May to convince “techs” employed by Kennametal in Orwell, OH not to unionize with the United Steelworkers. Oddly enough, Brown (a longtime consultant and favored union avoidance contractor of Amazon) submitted his own disclosure report earlier last month, yet failed to disclose that Michel joined him on the job. According to the NLRB, workers voted 86 to 119 against unionization on June 12.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded.
Who prevailed? Employer.
Payment: $312.50/hour for Michel. According to Brown, Kennametal agreed to pay his firm a billing rate of $3,800/day.
Johan Pena, a union avoidance consultant from Miami, FL was subcontracted by “Corporate America’s Favorite ‘Union Busting’ Firm” (a.k.a. the Labor Relations Institute/LRI Consulting) last November to convince “various employees” of Premier Brands of America in Hudson, NY not to unionize with the Teamsters Local 294. Oddly (or rather, in violation of LM-20 reporting requirements), Pena fails to mention the Teamsters in his already-late report (writing “NO specific union” instead) and the location of the union drive in his own report (I found that information from a report filed by Phil Wilson, head of the LRI). According to the NLRB, the Teamsters lost the union election, with workers ultimately voting 15 to 25 against unionization.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded.
Who prevailed? Employer.
Payment: Hourly rate of $425, “plus reasonable travel expenses.” A disclosure report filed by Wilson shows that LRI paid Pena at least $18,556 for his work for Premier Brands of America last year.
Johan Pena, a union avoidance consultant from Miami, FL also filed several other late reports last month, disclosing jobs for Canpack (beginning Jan. 2024, reportedly targeting the United Steelworkers), Canadian Solar (beginning Aug. 2024, also reportedly targeting the United Steelworkers) and Quesos La Ricura (in Dec. 2024, targeting an unknown/undisclosed union). Again, Pena misreports that the latter job began in Dec. 2025 — which is ridiculous, unless he’s a time traveler — and reports that the job lasted through the 13th month (which doesn’t exist, of course) of this year. Phil Wilson of LRI, however, who subcontracted Pena for the job, reports that the job lasted began in late December 2024. He doesn’t list an end date.
Ongoing or concluded? Seemingly concluded, but unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear in all three cases, since they appear to have been pre-petition (meaning, petitions for union elections were not formally filed with the NLRB).
Payment: According to Wilson, LRI paid Pena $37,992 for his work for Canpack last year; $17,882 for his work for Premier Brands of America; and it’s unclear how much Wilson paid him for the Quesos La Ricura job (as that is not disclosed), although Wilson reports billing Quesos a rate of $425/hour, “plus reasonable travel expenses.”
Alan Ashe, a union avoidance consultant from Kissimmee, FL, similarly filed several late reports last month, including work for Amazon (beginning June 2024, targeting an “unknown” union that is most likely the Teamsters), Sunshine Disposal (beginning Aug. 2024, targeting an “unkown” [sic] union), and the 3M Corporation (reportedly beginning Jan. 2025, targeting an “unkown” [sic] or otherwise undisclosed union).
Ongoing or concluded? Unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: Unclear. Ashe has not disclosed.
Ricky Pettigrew, a union avoidance consultant from Miami, FL was subcontracted through RoadWarrior Productions of Satellite Beach, FL to persuade delivery associates at Amazon’s DXH6 location in Downers Grove, IL not to join the Teamsters. According to Pettigrew, who refers to himself on LinkedIn as a two-year “campaign consultant” for RoadWarrior Productions (a.k.a. RWP Labor), the job lasted from April 28, 2025 through May 30, 2025. Pettigrew reports billing $2,000/day for the job, “plus expenses,” and explains that he “only gathered sentiment and conducted no speeches, no written materials, no meeting with management and employees to answer questions on rights afforded by the [National Labor Relations Act].”
Ongoing or concluded? Seemingly concluded.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: At least $2,000/day for roughly a month.
Going deeper: RWP Labor/RoadWarrior Productions is a favored union avoidance firm of Amazon’s. The firm, led by consultant (and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ally) Russell Brown, reported earning more than $3 million from Amazon for persuader services performed in 2024 alone.