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

I don't understand much about Union-Corporation dynamics, so let me pose some ill-informed questions:

Why didn't hostess just hire non-union employees if they had an issue? Did they sign a contract to only hire union workers? Is Hostess considered a "closed shop" meaning they ONLY hire union workers?

Why wouldn't the currently unemployed be jumping on this? Do you need a PhD in Twinkiology and/or Ding-Dog Dynamics to work there?

Is it a coincidence that all of these companies are going under/laying people off right after the new election?

Even the company I work for (a multi-billion dollar bank) has started laying off upper management (The AVPs and such who make 250k+ a year).

Originally posted by hypervigilant
Frito Lay is already in bed with Gamesa Galletas in Mexico so they would be most likely to pick up on the Hostess name... Gamesa products are big sellers throughout all of Texas and have been here over 45 years... If Twinkies are ever made south of the border the quality and flavor will be much better..

I never have tried a tequila or rum flavored Twinkie. I bet they would taste awesome! Especially the rum version.

Originally posted by WhatAreThey
I don't understand much about Union-Corporation dynamics, so let me pose some ill-informed questions:

Why didn't hostess just hire non-union employees if they had an issue? Did they sign a contract to only hire union workers? Is Hostess considered a "closed shop" meaning they ONLY hire union workers?

Why wouldn't the currently unemployed be jumping on this? Do you need a PhD in Twinkiology and/or Ding-Dog Dynamics to work there?

Is it a coincidence that all of these companies are going under/laying people off right after the new election?

Even the company I work for (a multi-billion dollar bank) has started laying off upper management (The AVPs and such who make 250k+ a year).

Oh they could have brought in scabs. But the problem is that other unions would have penalized them You know, solidarity. For example, the teamsters union would have refused to drive their trucks. Etc...

I guess the union bashers think its ok to work pennies an hour while cranking the corporate music maker.Business that can not afford to treat their employees like human beings desrve to go broke. If they had a better product and management skills their employees coud have made them number one.

Remember folks these people way smarter than you said:


"With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in man, than any other association of men."
Clarence Darrow

"All that serves labor serves the nation. All that harms is treason. If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other."
Abraham Lincoln

"If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men have a right to capitalize their ideas and the resources of their country, then that implies the right of men to capitalize their labor."
Frank Lloyd Wright

"The labor movement means just this: It is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth."
Wendell Phillips

"The American labor movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all America. Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor--those who cripple collective bargaining or prevent organization of the unorganized--do a disservice to the cause of democracy."
John F. Kennedy

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
Abraham Lincoln

My friends, it is solidarity of labor we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: "We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing."
Mother Jones

Here is a big part of the problem with America and I have witnessed first hand.
CEO's that were never part of the original company that built it through, blood, sweat and tears and come in only to destroy if it pads they and the higher cronies pockets.

They do nothing to grow the company but everything to destroy it if it will increase the shareholder value for the parasites on Wall Street and his own portfolio.

I have been with many companies where they got rid of departments to increase shareholder value for themselves and then the next incoming CEO would recreate the same department.

Originally posted by dancerolivia
Hostess has been in bankruptcy since 2004. They have failed to restructure, they're gone through something ridiculous like 6 replacement CEO's, each of whom took out amazing severance packages when they left after failing to do anything to turn the company around. I wish I could blame the unions more, but I can't. The upper management failed before the unions spoke up.

reply to post by WhatAreThey


Going bankrupt is how to get rid of the union.

The name will change, but they will reopen, using the same buildings and equipment, but a "new" company.

The union rules prohibit management or non members from doing any productive work.

Originally posted by TheAngryFarm
Way to go unions!!!!

Protecting American jobs

Further proof unions are nothing but a haven for degenerates and losers.

YA!!!
Freaking Americans need to start sucking it up, taking less wages, less benefits, less breaks, less of everything. Good riddance to all the unions and anyone that dares to stand up to establishment and the high ranking, highly paid elite CEO's of the country. Don't like it??? Well then STFU and get to work. There's no way you Americans are ever going to compete with the Chinese if you don't stop complaining...

Now get your bowl of rice and get the F*cK outta here...

Yeah well, with the attitude of most people on here we will soon be right on par with our Chinese competition.

reply to post by odd1out


Great post, you are definitely not the odd one out!

reply to post by jacobe001

And God forbid ANYONE stand up to them and demand a LIVING wage, benefits for their families, or to be treated like they are a necessary, respected part of a system.

Americans should just shut up and get back to work no matter what kind of shat sandwich they are handed...
Look at the Chinese, dominating world manufacturing & commerce and for good reason...their slaves know their place.

Originally posted by odd1out
reply to post by jacobe001

 

And God forbid ANYONE stand up to them and demand a LIVING wage, benefits for their families, or to be treated like they are a necessary, respected part of a system.

Americans should just shut up and get back to work no matter what kind of shat sandwich they are handed...
Look at the Chinese, dominating world manufacturing & commerce and for good reason...their slaves know their place.

edit on 17-11-2012 by odd1out because: (no reason given)

Well yea but they literally are slaves running on American business that left to use slave labor... where are the unions when it comes to Apple or Microsoft that are literally destroying our economy to maximize profit?

Good news today for Canucks. Apparently this closure does not affect the Canadian marketing of Hostess products north of the 49th. Rights were acquired by Saputo some time back and the making of ding dongs, Twinkies and the likes will continue. Now I'll set up a distribution center here to supply the black market down south .

Let me get this right. A bunch of union groupies refuse to work for this company over a few bucks more a week, to the point that they cause the company to go broke and in doing so lose the jobs of everybody that works there. So due to them wanting a bit more in their pay packet, they have now caused people to have no pay packet at all. Wow, how smart are they. I don't usually back the boss but in this case it looks like the tough guy union pr1cks have pushed that little bit too hard. I wonder how many of those union rep freaks have no job now, or have they simply moved on to another shop floor to do it all over again. Yea for the union reps. Bet they are still pulling in weekly money from "union funds" Isn't there a fiction book called Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand that where the unions do something similar so the owner of the company burns his business to the ground. Sorry for the families that will do xmas tough but for the actual blokes who went on strike for the extra few bucks, I can't help thinking that in many cases, it serves them right.

Originally posted by cprnicus
Good news today for Canucks. Apparently this closure does not affect the Canadian marketing of Hostess products north of the 49th. Rights were acquired by Saputo some time back and the making of ding dongs, Twinkies and the likes will continue. Now I'll set up a distribution center here to supply the black market down south

.

Holy crap !

This could make us canucks filthy stinking rich...

This is NOT the companies fault. This is also NOT the Unions fault. It's the Fed's fault. An outside company bought this company and loaded them up with debt. The current Fed rules allowed them to borrow too much. Banking rules are to blame plain and simple. The rules need to be changed.

Originally posted by steve1709
Let me get this right. A bunch of union groupies refuse to work for this company over a few bucks more a week, to the point that they cause the company to go broke and in doing so lose the jobs of everybody that works there. So due to them wanting a bit more in their pay packet, they have now caused people to have no pay packet at all. Wow, how smart are they. I don't usually back the boss but in this case it looks like the tough guy union pr1cks have pushed that little bit too hard. I wonder how many of those union rep freaks have no job now, or have they simply moved on to another shop floor to do it all over again. Yea for the union reps. Bet they are still pulling in weekly money from "union funds" Isn't there a fiction book called Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand that where the unions do something similar so the owner of the company burns his business to the ground. Sorry for the families that will do xmas tough but for the actual blokes who went on strike for the extra few bucks, I can't help thinking that in many cases, it serves them right.

Hi steve, I guess you didn't read my prior post about people smarter than you. Are you an employee? If so then you know that 95% of employees pour their hearts and souls into their jobs and are proud of what they produce. If the company went broke because of a strike then working conditions must have been really bad, cause I don't know one person who would choose to bankrupt a company over a "couple of bucks".

Originally posted by CranialSponge

Originally posted by cprnicus
Good news today for Canucks. Apparently this closure does not affect the Canadian marketing of Hostess products north of the 49th. Rights were acquired by Saputo some time back and the making of ding dongs, Twinkies and the likes will continue. Now I'll set up a distribution center here to supply the black market down south

.

Holy crap !

This could make us canucks filthy stinking rich...

You've tried this before with the maple syrup, remember?

reply to post by brice


I couldn't agree more.

Everybody wants to blame the union.

I think it is taking the blame off of the ceo's and fat cat investors that ran all of the profits inti the ground.

Everybody seems to forget that this company is/was in a majority of homes and businesses.

It is the multimillionaire dollar CEO that is ruining business not the worker.

Has anybody mentioned how much of a raise the union wanted? I am sure it was not too far fetched. But oh no the rich guys didn't want to come up with a more robust marketing campaign to even consider making up a few dollars for a raise.

Down with dirty business ......

They couldn't settle for a profit of 997 bazillion dollars instead of 1000 bazillion.....

Originally posted by shelookslikeone

Originally posted by CranialSponge

Originally posted by cprnicus
Good news today for Canucks. Apparently this closure does not affect the Canadian marketing of Hostess products north of the 49th. Rights were acquired by Saputo some time back and the making of ding dongs, Twinkies and the likes will continue. Now I'll set up a distribution center here to supply the black market down south

.

Holy crap !

This could make us canucks filthy stinking rich...

You've tried this before with the maple syrup, remember?

Yeah, but this is serious stuff... it's Twinkies !
We could market them as the apocalyptic food for the 21st century...

Oh man, I have visions of sugarplum fairies dancing in my head.

This just in:

Tensions between management and workers were also an ongoing problem. Hostess came under fire this year after it was revealed that nearly a dozen executives received pay hikes of up to 80 per cent even as the company was struggling last year. Although some of those executives later agree to reduced salaries, others — including the former CEO Brain Driscoll — had left the company by the time the pay hikes came to light.

Huffington Post

reply to post by liejunkie01


Read the company history at some point they were underpaying all upper level management after the 2nd filing for bankruptcy. Truth is the union wanted too much, too much into pension/retirement, they couldn't compromise after the bankruptcy. Only a third of the company's workers were in unions. They were warned of what is going with the company presently and what could happen in the future. They were warned of the dire situation and that a strike would give the finishing blow to the company...

And there you have it, the end. Now 18,000+ people are out of jobs, congratulations 1/3rd of the company for screwing everyone else over.