Michael MacHarg, Sr.

Overview

Michael MacHarg concentrates his practice in labor and employment law, with an emphasis on labor relations.

Mr. MacHarg has extensive experience in labor relations, advising and defending clients across various industries—including security services, automotive dealerships, and transportation companies—on union avoidance, collective bargaining, contract administration, unfair labor practice charges, and grievance and arbitration proceedings.

In his employment law work, he represents management on a wide range of matters, including wage and hour compliance, workplace harassment, and discrimination claims.

Notably, he has successfully represented management in dozens of union organizing campaigns and has conducted more than 1,000 unfair labor investigations. A former trial attorney with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Mr. MacHarg brings deep institutional insight into agency proceedings. His regulatory experience also includes advising clients on workplace safety and health issues, including compliance, audits, citation defense, and proactive risk mitigation.

As a litigator, he has successfully tried unfair labor practices cases, including defending employers in actions brought by the federal government seeking injunctive relief. Additionally, he has experience with vacating arbitration awards, litigating complex class action wage and hour matters, handling pension collection cases, and securing injunctions against picketing. He also handles cases arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Railway Labor Act, and disputes involving unfair competition.

Before joining Kaufman Dolowich, Mr. MacHarg served as a partner at a large defense firm, where he focused extensively on labor relations. His past experience also includes serving as in-house counsel at an international security company. Widely regarded as an expert in labor law, he is a frequent speaker and presenter for industry organizations such as the National Association of Presort Mailers and the National Automobile Dealers Association. Additionally, he spent nearly a decade as a law professor, teaching at both Stetson University College of Law and Florida A&M University College of Law.