Hostess, maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs, says closing business

reply to post by riverwild


There is a thread on the Wal-mart walkout

ATS here

Originally posted by PurpleChiten
OK, they don't taste like they did when we were kids

They've changed so much over the years....

Of course not, you can't taste well when your a child, you know sweet and yucky. taste buds develop until about age 20, and then they still develop more a little over time..

Originally posted by liejunkie01

No worker would rather be out of work, all workers want fairness, and obviously they thought it wasn't fair.

I doubt the CEO will be hurting like the Guy sitting on the bench at the union hall waiting for that job phone call.

What do they have to offer a good exec that has the brains to keep the business afloat? If there was an executive who's salary is only 1 million a year and it is his ideas that keeps the business going and makes them directly one billion dollars a year in profit, would he not too feel cheated to only being paid 1million when he made the company a billion? Goes both ways tiger

Originally posted by Quailar
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

You are correct. I have never had the privilege of having a union to look out for me or my colleagues. however, this particular situation doesnt make any sense. It appears Hostess went through a form of bankruptcy twice this year. The company also asked the employees to make some concessions in order to bring the company out of the financial deficit to gain a better financial footing. Instead they break the companies back. From the minute a company starts talking bankruptcy you owe it to yourself to look for work, or force the doors close so you can collect unemployment.
www.usatoday.com...

I may be missing the point, but if my boss says we need to all chip in to keep the doors open, I wouldnt say screw you pay me more and fullfill my pension and, oh by the way, ill cripple your prospective income while you decide. Makes no sense

Did you read any of the post? IBC the company which owns Hostess has had financial troubles
since 2004.These workers took concessions for eight years. They made sacrifices with the promise of an interest in the company once the company was making a profit. However the venture or vulture capitalist who purchased the company gave themselves an 80% raise while the company continued to fail. The unions went to court in protest. They lost. One union decided to surrender the other did not. Please do a litlle research before you make rash judgements.

reply to post by FreebirdGirl


I think the whole "do a good job and we will reward you with a pay increase" is crap.

Last job had walk on water evals, and the increase? 3%.

Got a new job. Makes it easy when they stiff ya like that.

reply to post by jimmyx

i guess workers here in america, should be just be saying....thank you for paying me less, thank you for cutting my hours, thank you for cutting my benefits, i'm just so grateful that you even hired me, and are alllowing me to work for you. if there is anything more that i as a worker can give back to the company so i can keep my job, please let me know.

The scary part is there are many on the site who agree with this guy. The founding fathers must be crying in their graves.

reply to post by TheAngryFarm


Yep. it was like 5000 union workers that cost 18000 jobs.

The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union represents about 5,000 Hostess employees

The job loss is terrible.

Originally posted by FreebirdGirl
reply to post by jimmyx

 

i guess workers here in america, should be just be saying....thank you for paying me less, thank you for cutting my hours, thank you for cutting my benefits, i'm just so grateful that you even hired me, and are alllowing me to work for you. if there is anything more that i as a worker can give back to the company so i can keep my job, please let me know.

The scary part is there are many on the site who agree with this guy. The founding fathers must be crying in their graves.

This isn't about people settling for less. This is about people who feel entitled to more. I used to work for a company and it was disgraceful the way other employees acted when they gave out Christmas bonuses. People talked about the "greedy" owners and how the bonuses had been bigger in the past. They complained about quitting because their bonus wasn't big enough. They should be happy to have jobs and owners that cared enough to give them a bonus and 3 weeks off with pay at Christmas.

Bottom line the Union wanted more money regardless of hostess situation. If hostess would have returned to profitability they would have just asked for more money. That's how it works. People are rarely happy and will take whatever they can get for free.

The workers took pay cuts this is true but they were overpaid to begin with. How can you justify unskilled labor making the money they do? Personally I regret these people losing their jobs before Christmas but am happy for the families of the less privileged who don't work for unions that might have a new employment opportunity once they reopen without the union hanging around their neck like a millstone.

reply to post by NihilistSanta


This is really just a lack of common sense.

If you can get a higher paying job, then by all means do that.

But do not quit ur old job before you have the new job? (strike = quit)

Must be a different world...

reply to post by kawika


Yeah its a world built on constantly shifting blame. People think if they have less and someone else has more they are entitled to it. I said it earlier but unions actually hinder productive workers from advancing due to "seniority" based systems. I mean it has fail built right into it.

Boxes of Twinkies going for over $200 on ebay right now!!!!!!!!!!!
When Hostess liquidates its assets you know somebody will buy this stuff up. Twinkies will be back just without the Hostess name on the package...

EBAY $200 Twinkies

Originally posted by NihilistSanta
reply to post by kawika

 

Yeah its a world built on constantly shifting blame. People think if they have less and someone else has more they are entitled to it. I said it earlier but unions actually hinder productive workers from advancing due to "seniority" based systems. I mean it has fail built right into it.

i guess then you will be having all of your electical, plumbing, construction, estate planning, auto repair, medical treatments and operations, done by people who DO NOT have seniority. i mean you would be hindering productive workers from advancing...right?

More corporate greed, They were unwilling to share the wealth with the plebs and ran their own business into the ground. 200 years ago these people would have been slave masters I would wager, When they saw that the hardest workers in their organisation were fed up of paycuts while they granted themselves rises they just dumped them. Hope those guys find work and have a decent Christmas.

A hostess cup cake was the first chocolate I ever ate in my entire life, 30 years ago. It was my first birthday, and I was given a single cup cake, with a single candle in it. I have photos of it all over my face and hands.

I'm sorry so many people are about to be out of work, if that's the case.

Seriously, I can't get over this. Pot legalized around the same time Hostess makes headlines about closing.
Well played. Well played.

reply to post by sonnny1


Has anyone ever considered perhaps they made bad choices themselves like thousands of companies do and hastened their own demise?

CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


Yup, right up there with buggy whips. Perception is the food is too unhealthy to be valuable.

But the names Hostess and Twinkies are worth $$..

The thing is, each one of those individuals who lost their job also made choices that let them to where they are right now. The choice to get a job instead of go to college. Join a union rather than bargain as an individual.

I am all for team work at work, but I would never join a union if I could help it. They take a big cut of your pay in dues and then decide for you whether you will go to work or not.

No thanks... Will take my chances on my own.

reply to post by NihilistSanta

This isn't about people settling for less. This is about people who feel entitled to more.

8 years of wage stagnation and cuts in benefits is not settling for less?
Besides working for free,tell me what other sacrifices the employees should have made? Should management have settled for less instead of an 80% pay raise.

How can you justify unskilled labor making the money they do?

Unskilled? Who are you to determine what skills are involved? Do you know the definition of unskilled?

unskilled

1. not having or requiring any special skill or training unskilled workers an unskilled job
2. having or displaying no skill;

www.thefreedictionary.com...

Skilled Labor

Skilled labor refers to labor that requires workers who have specialized training or a learned skill-set to perform the work. These workers can be either blue-collar or white-collar workers, with varied levels of training or education. Very highly skilled workers may fall under the category of professionals, rather than skilled labor, such as doctors and lawyers. Examples of skilled labor occupations are: electricians, law enforcement officers, computer operators, financial technicians, and administrative assistants. Some skilled labor jobs have become so specialized that there are worker shortages

Unskilled Labor

Unskilled labor does not require workers to have special training or skills. The jobs that require unskilled labor are continually shrinking due to technological and societal advances. Jobs that previously required little or no training now require training. For example, labor that was once done manually now may be assisted by computers or other technology, requiring the worker to have technological skills. Examples of remaining unskilled labor occupations generally include farm laborers, grocery clerks, hotel maids, and general cleaners and sweepers.

Semi- or Mid-Skill Labor

Semi- or mid-skill labor addresses the increase in demand for skills, even for less complex jobs. These jobs require some skill because they are more complex than those that can be performed by a non-skilled laborer. However, they do not require highly specialized skills. In a 2010 study released by the Indiana Institute for Working Families, more than half of the jobs in that state were mid-skill. Examples of mid-skill jobs include truck drivers, typists and customer service representatives. These jobs generally require more than a high-school diploma, but less than a college degree.

smallbusiness.chron.com...

Are you a professional? If not you are in the same labor category as those you criticize.
How much do you make an hour? Maybe you are overpaid.

Bottom line the Union wanted more money regardless of hostess situation. If hostess would have returned to profitability they would have just asked for more money. That's how it works. People are rarely happy and will take whatever they can get for free.

In the words of Ronald Reagan- "There you go again." You are a person are you not?
What do you get for free? If you reply nothing then you are as deceitful as your post.The truth is everyone is this country is getting some form of entitlement. It could be the deduction you receive for your mortgage. A person who rents could argue why should someone receive a tax deduction for buying a home. Another could argue why should this guy get a tax break because he bought equipment for a company he owns. Regardless to a lot of opinions on this thread, we are all in the same boat. Some of us are captains others sailors. Nevertheless if the ship goes down we all drown. Unfortunately, we seem to feel better about ourselves when we can point the finger and say it's the other guy. I would think on a site like ATS we would be intelligent enough to realize when we are slaves to the machine.

Originally posted by kawika
They take a big cut of your pay in dues and then decide for you whether you will go to work or not.

You do know that the rank and file decide whether or not to authorise a strike vote, right? In my experience, management initiated the strike by tabling a ridiculous final offer, then walking away from the table at the 11th hour. They only came back when they saw we started scheduling pickets. We called their bluff and came away with a contract that disappointed both sides...probably an indication of fairness.

Just incidentally, the one one issue they refused to discuss was workplace bullying...which was rampant.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

You do know that the rank and file decide whether or not to authorise a strike vote, right?

Well, it would take some convincing for me to believe they held a fair vote.

And one individual could not go against the groups decision, thus, THEY (not me) decide whether we go to work or not. THere are huge dangers in groupthink. We lost a shuttle due to groupthink. That is a whole other thread I suppose.

And as for myself, once it becomes apparent that there is no more cheese (see book, who moved my cheese), better start look'n and find a new job. No reason to go down with the group think ship.

I supposed if I thought the way those people do I would still be in Detroit, drawing unemployment and then welfare.

I have never drawn an unemployment check, and now 49 years old.

No cheese, start running!

reply to post by sonnny1
That bleached-out, jet-puffed "bread" is no more nutritious than the other non-food crap they sold. Still, I feel bad for anyone who loses a job in this economy.