Mt.Hamilton Society - David Guenthner: Unions & Worker Choice

We are very, very happy to welcome a new speaker, David Guenthner, on a topic not presented to our group previously.

For nearly a century, unions have played a powerful role in shaping America’s workforce and public policy. But as the nature of work evolves, so does the conversation about what true worker freedom should look like. This talk will explore that shifting landscape—how compulsory dues, political spending, and long‑standing labor structures affect not only workers, but taxpayers and the broader policy environment.

Drawing on decades of research from the Mackinac Center and the momentum of the Workers for Opportunity initiative launched in 2019, David will guide attendees through the emerging movement toward greater worker autonomy and how that will lead to greater government accountability. He will examine how states are rethinking coercive labor practices, what government neutrality toward unions could mean in practice, and why First Amendment considerations are increasingly central to modern labor reform.

The discussion will also highlight real‑world impact, including the organization’s work in California, where opt‑out rates have reached 30%. That shift removed nearly $300 million in dues and fees from union control last year alone—an outcome with significant implications for public policy, accountability to taxpayers, and the future of free‑market reforms.

Rather than simply presenting a conclusion, this session opens the door to a deeper exploration of how labor policy is changing, what’s driving that change, and what it could mean for workers in states across the country.

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David Guenthner is the executive director of Workers for Opportunity at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, in Midland, Michigan. He joined the Center in 2018 as senior strategist for state affairs and built the Center’s government affairs capacity. David also manages the Center’s criminal justice policy portfolio.

David’s move to Michigan followed 11½ successful years at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He was initially its director of media and government relations before being promoted to senior communications director in January 2011 and then to senior director for public affairs in August 2012.

He has appeared on the Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” and on local talk programs in many Texas media markets. Channel NewsAsia, an international news channel based in Singapore, relied on him to explain the aftermath of the 2000 U.S. presidential election. He has been a commentator for NationalReview.com and The Hill, and quoted in national publications such as the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Atlantic Monthly, the National Journal, etc.

He is a graduate of the Atlas Network’s Executive Accelerator in 2020.

Guenthner received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a double major in political science and speech communication and a minor in economics. He and his wife Jen live in the Lansing, MI area.

For more info: https://www.mackinac.org/about/staff/792

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Please join the Mont Hamilton Society in this 17th year since our founding, to hear and interact with David Guenthner on this important topic.

This meeting, including lunch, will be in-person for no more than 24 individuals only. We think you will enjoy the intellectual stimulation, the edification, the camaraderie, and meeting new people.

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From a satisfied Mont Hamilton Society member:

"Thanks as always to you for the fun and engaging lunch discussions you put together regularly - I always enjoy them and the dose of intellectual sanity they provide!" Luke Perkocha, MD, MBA

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About the Mont Hamilton Society - In 1947 Friedrich Hayek, an economist and social philosopher who later won the Nobel Prize, organized a meeting at Mt. Pelerin, a resort in Switzerland. Hayek convened a modest sized group of (39) economists, historians, philosophers and journalists for the purpose of supporting research and discussion on the role of markets vs. government. The Mont Pelerin Society is now a large and prestigious international organization.

In 2009, a group of friends began to meet in San Jose for the purposes of improving their understanding of economic theory, applying it to current events and sharing their understanding with others as well as promoting a joyous sense of camaraderie. In recognition of the example set by the Mont Pelerin Society, they decided to name their group the Mont Hamilton Society. Members understand the realities of the business world, share an interest in economic thinking, and value civil discourse from a variety of perspectives. Faculty and students from the Department of Economics at San Jose State University are frequent guests at Society meetings. In June 2017 the Mont Hamilton Society became the San Jose affiliate chapter of the Bastiat Society, an AIER.org project, hence our name from then till late last year was: Mont Hamilton/Bastiat Society. However AIER decided late in 2024 to discontinue the Bastiat Society program, so we are reverting to our original name: The Mont Hamilton Society and continuing on our own.

There are no membership fees or organizational meetings at this time, but all interested are encouraged to join and participate.

If you would like to be on our invitations list, or know someone else who might like to receive notice of our 7 - 10 luncheon or other events per year, or if you have any questions, please send an email to:

[email protected]

You or your suggested contact(s) will receive an announcement/invitation and a reminder or two for each event as they are scheduled, or a prompt answer to your question/s.

These events are discussions, not standard lectures. To facilitate this, the in-person gatherings before Covid Lockdowns were kept "small," typically 12 - 24 individuals only. Some presentations are video recorded, depending on demand and available resources. Constructive feedback on our events and interest in recordings is welcome, since we are continuing to evolve our meeting formats.

Thank you for your interest.

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