Atty. David M. Buday
David M. Buday is a Member of Miller Johnson and has been practicing law since 1989.
Profile Summary
About David M. Buday at a glance
David M. Buday is a employment, litigation, and health care attorney based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, practicing at Miller Johnson PLC. Educated at Wayne State University (J.D., 1989) and Aquinas College (Grand Rapids) (B.A., 1986). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Employment Law - Management (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Health Care Law (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Labor Law - Management (2026). Serands clients in Kalamazoo, MI and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- David M. Buday is a Member of Miller Johnson and has been practicing law since 1989
- His practice is focused on representing employers and management in a wide range of labor and employment matters
- While his labor and employment practice covers a wide range of industries, Mr. Buday is chair of Miller Johnson’s Employment – Health Care Practice Group
- He also serves on the firm’s management committee
- Employment Law Mr. Buday provides day-to-day counsel to company owners, corporate executives and human resource professionals on a wide variety of employment issues
- Because concern over compliance is always one of the greatest fears employers have, he takes a proactive approach to compliance with the applicable federal and state laws
- These include: - Hiring practices - Wage and hour law (Fair Labor Standards Act) - Workforce reduction (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) - Difficult employee issues – His advises clients on the challenges that arise related to attendance, substance abuse testing, disability and work leaves including military
- He is knowledgeable about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). - Harassment and discrimination
- Mr. Buday has represented clients in more than one hundred cases in front of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR)
- All matters have been dismissed or withdrawn and in none of the cases has the client paid any money to resolve the cases nor have those agencies taken the matter to a formal complaint
- Labor Law Mr. Buday has worked with businesses on a full spectrum of labor relations including helping clients maintain their union-free status, collective bargaining, arbitrating cases before the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and independent arbitrators, and handling unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board
- He has extensive experience with major unions is familiar with their representatives including United Auto Workers (UAW), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), United Steelworkers of America (USWA), Michigan Nurses Association (MNA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
- He has built his reputation in labor relations on trust and understands that simply pounding a table and saying no is not effective labor relations
- Because he represents both unionized employers as well as non-union employers, he is able to use that knowledge to his clients’ advantage
- For example, he counseled a West Michigan hospital during a large construction project and for the first time bidding was open to all contractors -- both union and non-union -- on a merit-based system
- He helped the hospital manage picketing and other threats by organized labor
- The project was completed without any delays or disruptions
- Health Care Industry Mr. Buday works closely with hospitals and health systems in addressing the vital need for good staff relations in a changing and challenging environment
- In addition, he also represents medical providers, nursing facilities, and diagnostic centers
- He counsels health care clients on the full-range of employment matters including those already addressed
- He is able to meet their needs for guidance on issues such as wage and hour, discharge documentation and ADA/FMLA which take on a higher level of complexity in health care organizations
- Mr. Buday understands the interplay between employment laws and laws that are unique to health care facilities such as the Whistleblowers Protection provisions
- He advises clients on how to manage professional practices in regards to Peer Review Privilege and licensing reporting requirements especially with respect to employee incompetence and substance abuse
- This allows health care organizations to focus on their mission of providing excellent patient care and services to achieve positive outcomes
- Some examples of illustrative cases are: - He represented a hospital in more than 20 discharge arbitrations over the last five years and in all but three of those cases, discharges were upheld
- The other three individuals were brought back to work without back pay. - He represented a West Michigan hospital in an arbitration involving a nurse who had worked for the hospital for more than 20 years and was discharged for incompetence
- The hospital won the case and the discharge was upheld. - He bargained contracts with unions representing both operations and professional staff at a Southwest Michigan hospital
- The successful outcome included a performance bonus which is unusual in the health care industry. - He successfully bargained contracts with the Michigan Nurses Association, with having flexibility placed into the contracts, employee co-pays for health insurance premiums and increased co-pays without workplace interruption
- Manufacturing Industry Mr. Buday has represented manufacturers in West Michigan both in labor relations and employee relations
- He has helped manufacturers beat back union organizing attempts, both pre- and post-petition, from all major unions including USWA, UAW and IBT
- He has bargained contracts for manufacturers, including innovative agreements with the UAW where there were only two job classifications and an emphasis upon management flexibility
- In another case, he represented a manufacturer who discovered that more than two-thirds of its workforce had engaged in misreporting to the Unemployment Insurance Agency
- He assisted the client in managing that matter in such a way that individuals were able to be discharged and the manufacturer was able to successfully continue its operations without loss of work time
- Construction Industry Mr. Buday has worked with contractors in a variety of trades in helping them to maintain their union-free status
- He has been involved in elections with several of the trades and helped assist clients who have been the subject of organizing campaigns
- He understands the rules concerning secondary boycotts, picketing and prevailing wage issues
- Professional Affiliations, Activities and Honors Mr. Buday belongs to the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Kalamazoo County Bar Association
- He is a member of Michigan Health and Hospital Association and American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) including AHLA’s labor and employment section
- He is also involved in a number of professional associations, including the Associated Builders and Contractors West Michigan Chapter and Kalamazoo Area Labor-Management Committee
- Mr. Buday is past Chair of Miller Johnson’s Employment and Labor Relations Section and is past Administrative Member of the firm’s Kalamazoo office
- Mr. Buday is named in “The Best Lawyers in America®” for employment law – management, health care law, labor law – management, and litigation – labor and employment
- He is named a Michigan “Super Lawyer” for employment and labor
- Community Activities Mr. Buday is on the Board of Trustees for the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and on the Board of Directors for the Kalamazoo County Family YMCA
- He served on the Board of Directors for the Kalamazoo chapter of the American Heart Association and the Hospital Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan
- Education Mr. Buday
Practice Areas Explained
David M. Buday's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases David M. Buday handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Employment lawyers represent workers in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage & hour disputes, and severance negotiations.
David M. Buday is one of 169,120 employment attorneys indexed nationally. Browse employment attorneys in Michigan →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
David M. Buday is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in Michigan →
Health care attorneys for HIPAA, Medicare, Medicaid, regulatory compliance, and medical licensing matters.
David M. Buday is one of 66,735 health care attorneys indexed nationally. Browse health care attorneys in Michigan →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Michigan
Practicing law in Michigan. Legal matters in Michigan are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Kalamazoo are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Michigan state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Michigan brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Michigan courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Michigan attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Kalamazoo or all attorneys in Michigan.
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