Busted: What Florida's union busters have been up to | May 2025
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 is what was reported in May:
Wildine Pierre Barrett, a union avoidance consultant affiliated with the firm Bridge Labor Solutions in Altamonte Springs, FL was subcontracted by the Crossroads Group for one week in April to persuade employees of Capstone Logistics in Joliet, IL against unionization with the Teamsters Local 703. According to federal records, Barrett was similarly hired to “persuade employees” of Capstone in Sarasota, FL against unionization last year. It’s unclear to me, based on a lack of public record, whether Barrett was successful. Workers in IL haven’t publicly filed a petition for a union election since 2018. That case didn’t advance and was eventually closed.
Ongoing or concluded? Unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: $450/hour, “plus reasonable and customary expenses
Going deeper: As the watchdog organization LaborLab notes, Barrett herself has a history of evading/skirting federal reporting requirements for persuaders who are hired by employers to crush union drives. Although a representative of the Crossroads Group disclosed this latest job for Barrett (that we know of), Barrett hasn’t disclosed details of the gig with the federal labor department herself. Nor has she filed a LM-21 financial disclosure report detailing how much she was paid last year for persuader activity — a report she’s required by law to file annually.
Wildine Pierre, a union avoidance consultant affiliated with the firm Bridge Labor Solutions in Altamonte Springs, FL was also subcontracted through Michael Penn of the anti-union Crossroads Group to convince employees of Sun River Health in Riverhead, NY to decertify (and effectively dissolve) their union. According to the National Labor Relations Board, various hospital employees — including dental assistants, nutritionists, registered nurses and others — are currently represented by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. A petition for decertification was first filed with the NLRB last August, and remains open. Pierre’s report, disclosing her persuader activity, is months late and contains various typos.
Ongoing or concluded? Ongoing
Who prevailed? N/A
Payment: $450/hour, according to an agreement Penn submitted to the federal OLMS.
John Burress, a consultant for the anti-union firm Labor Advisors in Delray Beach, FL, was subcontracted by Raymond Rosenbach of the Illinois-based Government Resources Consultants of America in April to convince HVAC techs employed by Sunbelt Rentals in Fraser, MI not to unionize. According to the National Labor Relations Board, Burress failed: Workers voted 5 to 1 in favor of unionizing with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324, which represents about 14,000 workers across the state of Michigan. Burress, a former union official with the Sheet Metal Workers International Union Local 67, has a history of union-busting for companies like UPS, Sysco, and chemical manufacturing company 3M Cordova.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded
Who prevailed? The union
Payment: Unclear. Neither Burress nor Rosenbach disclosed terms of payment.
Amed Santana, president and CEO of Santana International, filed a very late report disclosing that he was subcontracted through Phil Wilson of the Labor Relations Institute last year to convince employees of Tampa-based company Masonite in Winchester, PA not to form a union. According to Santana, a former Teamster, the organizing drive was “pre-petition,” meaning workers hadn’t yet filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. I don’t see a case that matches the details disclosed in Santana’s report, so that tracks. Santana reports that the job for Masonite — holding “voluntary” meetings with employees, etc — lasted just four days, from March 25, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
Ongoing or concluded? Unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: $212.50/hour “plus reasonable travel expenses.” According to a financial disclosure report, Wilson (who billed $425/hour himself) paid Santana nearly $15,000 total for the job.
Sean Lyles, a self-described “advocate for diversity and inclusion” and “business strategist with nearly 30 years of experience in corporate America” from Orlando, FL was subcontracted by Phil Wilson of the Labor Relations Institute — “Corporate America’s favorite union busting firm,” per HuffPost — to convince nurses employed by Corewell Health in Dearborn, MI not to unionize with the Teamsters Joint Council 43. Because the job began in May 2024, this report is very, very late (recall the 30-day window?). And from what I can tell, Lyles failed: Registered nurses at various Corewell Health East facilities in Michigan voted 4958 to 2957 in favor of unionizing with the Nurses for Nurses, a Committee of Michigan Teamsters Joint Council No. 43 in November.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded.
Who prevailed? The union.
Payment? Wilson billed Corewell $425/hour. According to a financial disclosure report recently filed by Wilson (Lyles has failed to file his own), Wilson paid Lyles a remarkable $245,582 just for that job last year.
“Despite Corewell waging one of the most expensive and aggressive union-busting campaigns we've ever seen, these nurses knew their value and were determined to become Teamsters,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien in a statement. “Corewell nurses chose the Teamsters because they knew it was the only way to secure a strong union contract. This organizing win is exactly what we mean when we say we are building the biggest, fastest, and strongest Teamsters Union.”
Sean Lyles, affiliated with Unboxted in Orlando, FL, belatedly filed a report disclosing his agreement with Phil Wilson of the Labor Relations Institute/LRI Consulting to persuade employees of Jacintoport International in Houston, TX not to form a union with the International Longshoremans Association Local 1351. Lyles was enlisted for the job in January — meaning this recently-filed report is months late. Amed Santana, a consultant from El Paso, TX joined him on the job, per Wilson. I don’t see that workers have officially filed any petition for unionization (yet?) with the NLRB, so it’s unclear if the pair managed to stifle pro-union sentiment, or if the organizing drive is ongoing and very much still alive.
Ongoing or concluded? Unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: Lyles doesn’t disclose his billing rate. However, Wilson reports a billing rate of $425/hour, “plus reasonable travel expenses.”
Sean Lyles, affiliated with Unboxted in Orlando, FL, was also subcontracted through East Coast Labor Relations in February to convince phlebotomists employed by LabCorp in Tucker, Georgia not to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers union. Lyles reports that the organizing drive was “pre-petition,” meaning workers hadn’t yet filed a petition with the NLRB for a union election. However, I do see that a matching petition filed with the NLRB in January was quickly withdrawn — notably, before Lyles reportedly arrived on the scene.
Ongoing or concluded? Ongoing, per Lyles.
Who prevailed? N/A
Payment: East Coast Labor Relations reported a billing rate of $3,500/day in its agreement with Labcorp Georgia, filed with OLMS, plus travel expenses and a $60/day per diem meal cost.
The anti-union Labor Pros firm, based in Orlando, FL, was contracted by AC Hotel in Sacramento, CA in March to persuade hotel employees not to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 49. Labor Pros CEO Nekeya Nunn reportedly subcontracted consultants Pablo Gonzalez of New York, NY and Yashira Rodriguez of Inverness, FL for the job, which lasted from March 10, 2025 through April 4, 2025. Workers filed a petition with the NLRB to unionize on March 7, but withdrew their petition the following month — after the Labor Pros consultants showed up on the scene. Notably, both consultants waited until after the petition had already been withdrawn before disclosing their persuader activity for Peachtree Hospitality, d.b.a. AC Hotel.
Ongoing or concluded? Seemingly concluded.
Who prevailed? The employer
Payment: Neither Gonzalez nor Rodriguez disclosed terms of payment. Nunn hasn’t filed a report yet disclosing the job at all, despite the fact that the 30-day window set by federal law has passed. The Labor Pros, however, regularly bills employers thousands of dollars per day or upwards of $425/hour.
Raymond Rosenbach, head of the anti-union Government Resources Consultants of America consulting firm, enlisted Daniel Bryan of Labor Advisors in Delray Beach, FL to persuade technicians employed by Verbal Beginnings — an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy program for kids with autism — in Rockville, MD not to unionize with the Teamsters Local 639. According to the NLRB, Bryan failed, spectacularly: Workers voted 33 to 1 in favor of unionization, out of 38 total eligible voters. Notably, Rosenbach didn’t file a report disclosing this job until after the union election had taken place.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded.
Who prevailed? The union.
Payment: Unclear. Rosenbach did not disclose terms of payment. Records show that last year alone, Rosenbach took in more than $5.6 million for persuader services (with the bulk coming from Amazon), dispersing $3,116,612 to individual consultants he subcontracted for the jobs.
Niles Commer, an anti-union labor consultant from Sarasota, FL was contracted by Premier Health Partners in late March to convince “hospital employees” (presumably at Miami Valley Hospital) in Dayton, OH not to form a union with the United Auto Workers Local 128. Records show Commer, who began the gig on April 17, has been joined on the job by Judith Dugal of Royal Oak, MI. Both report holding “employee meetings” to “answer questions” about unionization. Neither report how much they’re being paid, or if they’ve been subcontracted through any larger union-busting firm. According to Dayton Daily News, nurses at Miami Valley Hospital in May noticed “tough pushback” from the hospital in response to their unionization drive. A spokesperson for the company recently described union representation as “unnecessary.”
Ongoing or concluded? Ongoing.
Who prevailed? N/A
Payment: Unclear. Neither Commer nor Dugal reported their billing rates in reports filed with the feds.
Going deeper: Premier Health Partners has been accused of firing one of the hospital employees over their unionization attempt. The company, of course, denies such allegations.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the people that we’ve directly talked to,” Emily Wu, one of the nurses leading organizing efforts, told Dayton Daily News. “Our biggest hurdle has been reaching people, though. The hospital administration has kind of really come down hard on us, trying to stop us from unionizing.”
Simon Jara, a labor consultant affiliated with Concordia Resolve Consulting in Scottsdale, AZ was subcontracted through Russ Brown of RWP Labor/RoadWarrior Productions in Satellite Beach, FL to convince drivers for Amazon’s DLX1 facility in Santa Fe Springs, CA not to form a union with the Teamsters Local 93. Jara was brought on for the job in mid-April, and has been joined on the job by Nathan Hoyt of the Washington-based North River Consulting firm. Hoyt was similarly subcontracted through RWP Labor, a firm that specializes in union avoidance. “When employees feel they can no longer talk directly to the company, bringing in RWP Labor consultants is the best option to identify the key issues, educate your employees and management team and ultimately send them to the ballot box to make an educated decision to vote non-union,” their website reads. RWP Labor is seemingly one of Amazon’s go-to union avoidance firms and paid the firm more than $3 million last year alone.
Ongoing or concluded? Unclear.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: Both consultants reported billing rates of $250/hour. Brown hasn’t filed a report disclosing his participation in the job, nor his own billing rate (usually in the ballpark of $425-$450/hour).
Going deeper: Jara has found himself in trouble with federal labor cops for his conduct during union avoidance gigs before. During a 2017 union campaign in California, also involving the Teamsters, one worker testified that Jara told them the union was “no good” and that contract negotiations would “start at zero.” A NLRB administrative law judge in that case found the employer, Newport Meat Southern California, “committed numerous violations” of the National Labor Relations Act, including “unlawful threats and statements, distribution of an anti-union petition, and promises of increased benefits to employees during the “critical period” to encourage them to vote against union representation.”
Ricky Pettigrew, a former military guy in Miami, FL, was also subcontracted through Russ Brown of RWP Labor/RoadWarrior Productions in Satellite Beach, FL to persuade drivers at Amazon’s DCX8 location in Anaheim, CA not to unionize with the Teamsters. Pettigrew, affiliated with Compliance & Policy Consulting, was reportedly on the job from March 24 through April 18.
Ongoing or concluded? Concluded, per Pettigrew.
Who prevailed? Unclear.
Payment: $2,000/day “plus expenses”
Michael Caserta, a self-described “educator” with the firm Labor Advisors in Delray Beach, FL was subcontracted through the anti-union Government Resources Consultants of America in March to persuade Amazon drivers not to unionize with the Teamsters Local 813, which is based up in Long Island City, NY. The job began March 17 and is described by Caserta as “ongoing.” Caserta reports that he’s been enlisted specifically to “Conduct meetings with employees, all across the US” to “discuss the realities of signing [union] authorization cards.”
Ongoing or concluded? Ongoing
Who prevailed? N/A
Payment: Unclear. Caserta doesn’t disclose.
Housekeeping note: I ended up just putting together a single roundup this month because, frankly, covering Florida’s legislative session (and local news in Orlando at the same time) kicked my butt and I’ve been playing catch-up. I also took a week off work entirely (well, mostly) to regroup. Expect bimonthly roundups again beginning next month. Thanks for your patience.
As someone who was a union elevator constructor until I became disabled in a non-work related accident, I can confidently say that labor unions should protect EVERY average American worker. The wages, benefits, support, and protection that unions provide cannot be obtained without them. I wish that weren't the case, but greed is one hell of a disgusting disease that will ALWAYS prevent employees from being treated fairly.
Most people don't realize that the very existence of unions actually benefits employees everywhere. Because nonunion employers fear the possibility of their employees unionizing, many already pay far better (yeah, I know they still pay shit) than they would if unions all collapsed. Their fear, and the great lengths that employers go to in order to prevent unionization, should be all the proof any average worker needs to see to understand how effective unions are for workers.
Also, it's worth noting that the businesses whose employees have been unionized for decades, ones like the elevator corporations Schindler, Otis, and Kone for example, still continue to make extremely healthy profits. Crazy how that can be possible, huh?
Finally, there's a special place in hell for the scab scumbags who take money in order to manipulate regular people, especially those already being treated like slaves, to vote AGAINST something that would make their lives significantly better. Every individual and business you mention in this article deserves to be shamed and shunned. It's infuriating just knowing that there are people this despicable, heartless, and morally bankrupt out there in the world.
Thanks for digging this information up, compiling it, and sharing it! I only wish we actually had an NLRB, DOJ, SEC, and DOL that still cared to abide by the laws in our nation...