PHILADELPHIA, April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Philadelphia labor, employment, workers’ compensation and family law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson is pleased to announce that partner Michael G. Dryden has been inducted into the Legends of Labor Hall of Fame. Initiated by pro-labor media platform PhillyLabor.com and the Philadelphia union community, this honor recognizes labor leaders who have made an indelible mark on the labor movement. Dryden’s induction ceremony took place on March 23, 2026, at the firm’s headquarters in Philadelphia.
“I am proud to be recognized by Philadelphia labor advocates for standing with the workers of this city,” said Dryden. “Working people deserve benefits that will protect them in difficult times, and it has been my privilege to fight on their behalf over the course of my career as a workers’ compensation lawyer. I look forward to continuing to ensure our hard-working clients can rely on the support they deserve.”
Dryden strives to make sure working people get the benefits they are entitled to when they incur work-related injuries or fall ill to a work-related disease. An expert in occupational disease, he has helped shape the law governing these claims through landmark advocacy, while securing critical benefits for workers across Pennsylvania.
In 2025, Dryden secured a court victory for a firefighter seeking workers’ compensation benefits after he developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the job, the first time in Pennsylvania history that a firefighter has successfully claimed these benefits for a solely psychological injury. His work in the seminal case of City of Philadelphia v. WCAB (Sladek), before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, led to a favorable decision that benefits firefighters and their dependents in cancer claims. His earlier work in another case helped to raise evidentiary standards employers must meet when claiming an employee’s known occupational risk for a disease is not the cause of that employee’s illness.
A trusted adviser to countless unions and workers, Dryden is certified as a specialist in workers’ compensation law through the Pennsylvania Bar Association. A recognized expert in this area of law, he represents clients in workers’ compensation and pension matters and frequently has been called to testify before legislators on issues involving workers’ compensation, occupational disease, and hearing loss. Over the course of his career, he has helped hundreds of workers, from firefighters to machinists to truck drivers, claim benefits for all types of work-related injuries and diseases.
The Legends of Labor Hall of Fame promotes labor advocacy and leadership to better educate the public and all union members on the principles, foundation, and history of labor, as well as the great leaders who have established the standards of the movement. Inductees are selected by Philadelphia-area union representatives and pro-labor media and communications professionals.
About Willig, Williams & Davidson – Willig, Williams & Davidson (www.wwdlaw.com) is one of the largest and most respected union-side labor law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as well as Chicago and Haddonfield, New Jersey. Founded in 1979, Willig, Williams & Davidson focuses on representing labor unions, employee benefit funds, professional athletes, and individual working people and their families on a variety of legal fronts, including national, regional and local contract negotiations; election and campaign finance; dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration and litigation; family law matters; benefits law design and compliance issues; discrimination, overtime and unpaid wages, and other employment matters; prepaid legal services for union members; social security disability; and workers’ compensation matters in Philadelphia and beyond. Workers inspire us.
Contact: Matt Henderson
matt@furiarubel.com / 215.340.0480
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SOURCE Willig, Williams & Davidson
