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Union Kills the Twinkie

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Maximus

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Union strike kills Hostess, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread. 18,500 lose their jobs. A bunch of the unions members crossed the line but got fined by the union. All this was over a few %.
Unions = Cancer.

At least the 18,500 will have free health care and birth control...


Twinkies Maker Hostess Going Out of Business

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” CEO says


Friday, Nov 16, 2012 | Updated 7:53 AM CST

hostess-twinkies-156458828.jpg


Hostess, the makers of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread, is going out of business after striking workers failed to heed a Thursday deadline to return to work, the company said.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” Hostess CEO Gregory F. Rayburn said in announcing that the firm had filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to shutter its business. “Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”

Hostess Brands Inc. had earlier warned employees that it would file to unwind its business and sell off assets if plant operations didn't return to normal levels by 5 p.m. Thursday. In announcing its decision, Hostess said its wind down would mean the closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores in the United States.

Hostess suspended bakery operations at all its factories and said its stores will remain open for several days to sell already-baked products.

The Irving, Texas-based company had already reached a contract agreement with its largest union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. But thousands of members in its second-biggest union went on strike late last week after rejecting in September a contract offer that cut wages and benefits. Officials for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union say the company stopped contributing to workers' pensions last year.

A union representative did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment on the company's announcement.

In an interview with Fox Business, CEO Gregory Rayburn said many workers had already crossed picket lines this week to go back to work despite warnings by union leadership that they'd be fined.

"The problem is we don't have enough crossing those lines to maintain normal production," said Rayburn, who first joined Hostess earlier this year as a restructuring expert.

Hostess said that production at about a dozen of the company's 33 plants had been seriously affected by the strike. Three plants were closed earlier this week.

The privately held company filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, its second trip through bankruptcy court in less than a decade. The company cited increasing pension and medical costs for employees as one of the drivers behind its latest filing. Hostess had argued that workers must make concessions for it to exit bankruptcy and improve its financial position.

The company, founded in 1930, was fighting battles beyond labor costs, however. Competition is increasing in the snack space and Americans are increasingly conscious about healthy eating. Hostess also makes Dolly Madison, Drake's and Nature's Pride snacks.

If the motion is granted, Hostess would begin closing operations as early as Tuesday.

"Most employees who lose their jobs should be eligible for government-provided unemployment benefits," Hostess said.



Copyright Associated Press / NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
 
The Teamsters union, which represents 7,500 Hostess workers, has been sharply critical of the smaller Bakers' decision to strike, saying it was forcing the company to the cusp of liquidation. The Teamsters said Thursday that the Bakers' union should hold a secret ballot on the company's offer, rather than the voice votes that were held in union halls around the country that authorized the decision to strike.

"It is difficult for Teamster members to believe that is what the [Bakers' union] Hostess members ultimately wanted to accomplish when they went out on strike," said the Teamsters' statement.

The Bakers' union has made several statements earlier in the week saying management is to blame for the condition of the company, not the strike.

The new contract cut salaries across the company by 8% in the first year of the five-year agreement. Salaries were then scheduled to bump up 3% in the next three years and 1% in the final year.

Hostess also reduced its pension obligations and its contribution to the employees' health care plan. In exchange, the company offered concessions, including a 25% equity stake for workers and the inclusion of two union representatives on an eight-member board of directors.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news/companies/hostess-closing/
 
18,500 jobs destroyed by a 5,000 member union refusing to budge at the bargaining table. Awesome. I love our liberal overlords.
 
Doesn't seem like hostess was offering that bad a deal considering the alternative.

Well, hopefully Little Debbie is hiring!
 
Doesn't seem like hostess was offering that bad a deal considering the alternative.

Well, hopefully Little Debbie is hiring!

Because unions believe that no job is better than a slightly lower paying job.

Can somebody explain to me why rich CEO's are so evil, but that rich union heads are such undeniably upstanding individuals?

Enjoy those free phones, and contraception folks.
 
I just figured this thread would be a sex joke about Dwyane Wade and his girlfriend...
 
Because unions believe that no job is better than a slightly lower paying job.

Can somebody explain to me why rich CEO's are so evil, but that rich union heads are such undeniably upstanding individuals?

Enjoy those free phones, and contraception folks.

Who said they were? The 2 are not mutually exclusive, for the record.

And way to crow-bar in a bigoted comment. Well done.
 
The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) just lost 5% of their membership by doing this. The Teamsters approved their portion of the contract, and aren't happy their 7,500 members are losing their jobs because of the BCTGM, an AFL-CIO affiliate.

Our company was upset when the IAM (affiliate of AFL-CIO) became union leadership for our ramp and customer service agents. The Teamsters in the recent past have been much more agreeable to what is best in respect to both the company and getting a fair contract for their members. Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, still believes labor unions are fighting the same conditions and workrules they had in the 1930's and seems to be oblivious to economic restraints that companies are under right now.
 
"Most employees who lose their jobs should be eligible for government-provided unemployment benefits," Hostess said.

Just. Awesome.


Damn I'm going to miss my Twinkies!!!!
 
I think a little blame should fall on the fact that only fat people who have given up on life buy their crappy product.
 
What? Where? :confused:

Bigot was a poor choice of words...

But the whole cell-phone/contraceptive narrative. It's bullshit, anti-liberal rhetoric and it completely undermines the laws of causality.
 

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