Education

Wayne State University Law School, J.D., 1986, cum laude

Michigan State University, B.A., 1978, Personnel Administration, with High Honors

Bar and Court Admissions

Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Photo of Michael R. Blum
Farmington Hills
32300 Northwestern Highway
Suite 230
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
T: 248.785.4722
F: 248.851.7504
T: 248.785.4725

Michael R. Blum

Shareholder

Mike Blum is an award-winning Michigan labor and employment lawyer in Detroit who has litigated some of the state’s most important cases.  He joined Foster Swift in 2008.

Part of Mike’s effectiveness as a litigator, in ADR and as a counselor to employers, comes from his 11 years with the National Labor Relations Board.  He went to work for the NLRB as a field examiner right out of college and became an NLRB trial attorney in 1987, when he finished law school and was admitted to the bar. Michael is a highly sought after labor attorney in Detroit.

Mike focuses his practice in five areas:

  • Labor law.  Counsels and represents employers in all kinds of labor matters, including negotiation of collective bargaining agreements; grievance processing, mediation and arbitration; development and implementation of union campaigns; and, matters before the NLRB, including election and unfair labor practice proceedings. 
  • Employment law for private employers:  Helps in compliance with state and federal statutes affecting private-sector employers in Michigan, and defense of claims before federal and state agencies. 
  • Employment law for public employers.  Works with municipalities, public schools, and state courts in legal matters involving public employees, including defense of claims before governmental agencies. 
  • Litigation.  Handles high-stakes cases at the trial court and appellate levels.  In 2009, for example, Mike prevailed in a precedent-setting claim before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit which reversed a federal district court's denial of costs and attorneys' fees under the Norris-LaGuardia Anti-Injunction Act.
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Has represented employers in arbitrations and as an advocate and mediator.  He’s a recognized arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association's Neutral Employment Panel.

He’s a prolific author and is frequently invited to speak on complex labor and employment issues.  Mike has written dozens of articles for leading organizations and publications.  He recently assisted in revising the Michigan Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring to Termination Guide, a project led by Foster Swift attorney Melissa Jackson.  He’s spoken on a wide range of key topics, including how to handle e-mail communications and the significance of the amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other state and federal rules and regulations. 

Highlights & Recognitions

AV® Preeminent™ Martindale-Hubbell
Michigan Superlawyers 2009, 2010, 2011 (Employment and Labor)
dBusiness Magazine 2010 Top Lawyer

Representative Matters

  • In December 2009, Mike won a precedent-setting case of first impression in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  It reversed a federal district court's denial of costs and attorneys' fees under the Norris-LaGuardia Act, which were incurred in obtaining dissolution of an ex parte temporary restraining order that a union had improvidently obtained ex parte from a state circuit court judge.
  • Mike successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements in July 2009 with various unions, including the Michigan Nurses Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
  • He assisted in closing a client's business operations, including issuance of notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.  Successfully negotiated a plant closing agreement with the union.  Also involved in COBRA continuation notification and compliance issues.  
  • In June 2008, Mike successfully defended a client in a lawsuit filed by an ex-employee alleging sex and age discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Elliott-Larsen.  Summary judgment was granted by District Judge Bernard A. Friedman.
  • Mike successfully defended clients in a lawsuit filed by an ex-employee alleging sex discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual stereotyping under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.  Summary judgment was granted in February 2002 by Macomb County Circuit Court Judge James Biernat and upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

News

Speaking Engagements

For more, click here

Publications

For more, click here

Memberships & Affiliations

Legal Affiliations:
  • Michigan State Bar Association, Fellow
  • Macomb County Bar Association
  • Oakland County Bar Association
  • Labor/Employment Case Evaluator, Macomb County Circuit Court
Industry & Professional Associations:
  • American Arbitration Association, Employment Panel, Arbitrator
  • National Labor Relations Board, Practice and Procedures Committee
  • Harrison Township Zoning Board of Appeals
  • Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA)
  • Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Community Involvement:
  • Chamber of Commerce, Macomb Chapter
  • St. Clair Shores Hockey Association, Board of Governors