Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, said that the labor union Unite Here employs coercive and unlawful tactics to compel worker unionization. This statement was made on the InfluenceWatch Podcast.
“They just want the dues and the power, first and foremost,” said Semmens. “It is fair to say that Unite Here is overrepresented in our case load when it comes to that. Basically implying that you can get someone deported if they don’t sign up for the union. They’re not adverse to breaking the law… and the union is taking advantage of them.”
According to Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM), in a case involving Cintas Corporation, UNITE HERE was found to have violated the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act by unlawfully obtaining employees’ home addresses through license plate tracking. A federal court ruled that the union’s actions—collecting license plate numbers and accessing motor vehicle records to contact employees at home—constituted a breach of privacy laws. The court awarded statutory damages of $2,500 per affected employee, amounting to millions in total penalties.
As reported by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), in May 2025, UNITE HERE Local 11 faced its third round of federal unfair labor practice charges from employees at Flying Food Group at Los Angeles International Airport. Workers alleged that union officials employed intimidation tactics, including physical confrontations and false accusations, to suppress dissent and coerce union support. These charges highlight ongoing concerns about the union’s aggressive organizing methods.
JMBM reported that in 2006, a California jury found UNITE HERE guilty of “fraud, malice, and oppression” in its campaign against Sutter Health Hospitals. The union had targeted Sutter Health as part of a broader effort to pressure a laundry service company, Angelica Textile Services, by sending alarming postcards to 18,000 women suggesting that newborns could be at risk due to unclean hospital linens. The court’s decision underscored the union’s use of aggressive tactics in its organizing campaigns.
Semmens is the Vice President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and has served in various roles since joining the organization in 2000. He acts as a spokesperson and strategic advisor, frequently providing commentary on labor law and union-related legal matters, especially cases before the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Supreme Court. Semmens has written extensively on compulsory unionism and has been cited in major outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Reuters for his advocacy on behalf of individual workers’ rights.
