Firm
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Mr. Byergo is a Shareholder in the firm’s Kansas City office and is chair of the firm's national collective bargaining practice subgroup. He has over 20 years of experience representing and advising management in labor and employment matters. Current clients represent a wide range of industries, including retail, restaurants, and hospitality; insurance and professional services; telecommunications/information technology; trucking and rail transportation; distribution; construction; food production and processing; health care; pharmaceuticals; and manufacturing.Mr. Byergo is a recognized expert in traditional labor relations matters and union avoidance, including collective bargaining, representation campaigns, strike preparation, corporate campaigns, labor arbitration and unfair labor practice proceedings. His experience includes representing management in well over 150 NLRB hearings and labor arbitrations, covering issues ranging from strike and bargaining disputes, to subcontracting and mass layoffs, to discipline and discharge cases. He has served as chief negotiator for management in scores of collective bargaining negotiations, and successfully advised management in union representation campaigns covering as many as 1800 employees in locations from Alaska to the Virgin Islands. Mr. Byergo also maintains an active employment litigation docket. Recent successes include obtaining defense verdicts in jury trials alleging sex, race and retaliation claims; appellate decisions affirming summary judgment in sex harassment, disability, ERISA and USERRA claims; and summary judgment in a variety of race, sex, age, and disability discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA. He also has extensive experience successfully representing employers in a variety of executive termination, non-compete and unfair competition claims and shareholder disputes for closely held businesses throughout the country.A native of Kansas City, Mr. Byergo began his legal career in Chicago. He then served two different Fortune 100 companies in lead labor relations and legal roles before returning to private practice in 2004. He is recognized by publications such as Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers as one of the leading labor and employment lawyers in Kansas City.