Michael P. MacHarg

Michael MacHarg is a principal in the San Francisco office and helps clients in the areas of labor relations and litigation. Over the course of his career, Michael has assisted clients with union avoidance, collective bargaining, contract administration, unfair labor practices, grievance and arbitration, wage and hour issues, and discrimination.

Clients call upon Michael for his deep experience representing employers with regards to labor issues. He has successfully represented management in dozens of union organizing campaigns and has conducted more than 1,000 unfair labor investigations. Additionally, Michael has extensive experience related to workplace safety and health issues including compliance, audits, and citation defense, and helps clients be proactive in those areas to prevent future issues to the extent possible.

Michael has experience as in-house counsel at an international security company, a perspective that helps him understand his clients’ day-to-day challenges. As in-house counsel, Michael worked with CAL-OSHA on industry specific compliance standards.

As a litigator, Michael has successfully tried unfair labor practices cases, including the defense of employers against federal government efforts seeking injunctive relief. Additionally, he has experience with vacating arbitration awards, complex class action wage and hour matters, pension collection cases, and injunctions against picketing. Michael also litigates cases involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), The Railway Labor Act, and unfair competition cases.

Michael keeps a close eye on federal developments in labor and employment law and is a frequent author on hot topics in this space. He is also a frequent speaker and has presented to associations, including the National Association of Presort Mailers and National Auto Dealers Association, numerous times over the past decade.

Honors and Recognitions

• Best Lawyers in America© (2024-2025)
• Best Lawyers in America©, “Ones to Watch” (2024)