Michael D. Ratchford (August 1860 – December 12, 1927) was an Irish-American labor leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1897 to 1898.

Ratchford is remembered for his leadership of a coal strike during the summer of 1897, which lead to the establishment of a national scale of wages and hours for the industry.

During his single term as UMWA president, Ratchford dramatically re-invigorated the union, which had been reduced to a membership of only 10,000 members with a treasury of just $600 at the time.

The strike was settled when mine owners agreed to sign a national master contract, the Central Competitive Field Agreement.

[1] An ardent Republican and personal friend of both William McKinley and Mark Hanna, Ratchford was appointed Ohio's commissioner of labor statistics in 1900, a position which he would retain for eight years.