The Twinkie, a Suicide (Unionside)

WSJ ^ | November 16, 2012 | Editor

[yoe]

Perhaps it says something about America—though we're not sure what—that iconic junk foods like Twinkies, Devil Dogs, Ho Hos snack cakes and Wonder bread have endured since the 1930s despite changing consumer health and eating habits. It does say something about institutions that can't—or refuse to—adapt to new economic times that the company behind those products has chosen to go out of business overnight.

Hostess's owners have decided to liquidate rather than ride out a nationwide strike by one of the largest of its dozen unions, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union.

[snip] Union work rules usually required cake and bread products to be delivered to a single retail location using two separate trucks. Drivers weren't allowed to load their own vehicles, and the workers who loaded bread weren't allowed to load cake. On most delivery routes, another "pull up" employee moved products from back rooms to shelves.

[yoe]

Were I one of the Hostess owners, I would demand the company hire "free workers" who want and need the jobs....making it a crime for any disgruntled union worker to disrupt in any fashion the company work force. How stupid can people be to let their lives be governed by Union Boss's ..... looks like more tattoos than brains organized that union.....

[CodeToad]

ObamaCide.

[cripplecreek]

The union was 5000 strong. Some 13,000 non union people suffer because of them.

[yldstrk]

ain’t subscribing so can’t read the whole article

[cripplecreek]

[Slyfox]

They ought to move their operation to a right to work state.

[PGR88]

The unions are blaming private equity, or Bain Capital, or capitalism, but the election is over. And so is Hostess

the greatest irony is that the "private equity" firm that owned Hostess, Ripplewood, is owned by a big Democrat contributor and fund-raiser. In fact, Ripplewood and Hostess even hired the famously pro-union politician, Dick Gephardt, as a consultant, to try and help him subdue the unions and limit their astronomical costs.

[yoe]

Thanks...caught it too late*~*

[cotton1706]

It’s a win-win for the liberals all the way around. An evil corporation is shutting its doors, a nemesis of Michelle Obama’s garden is now gone, and there’s 18,000 more people on the government dole.

What would make me gleeful is for some other company to buy hostess and open up it’s factories (or retool existing factories) in non-union states. We still get Twinkies, and the union thugs lose more power.

[BobNative]

I believe that Hostess will some how re-tool and produce great products in “Right to Work” States or non-Union facilities.

[wmp46]

Worked for a manufacturing who had a union shop and I also worked as non union member purchasing agent. It has to do with providing a good product at a competitive price. The work place was a war zone them against them, get the rich who can afford a raise. The union did strike and was offered less than they wanted. After several months and a scattering of workers did come back and walked through the picket lines the union was broken but in Hostess case the company broke. It was a suicide mission where emotions overtook reason. After all and all more unions members came back without a union and the war zone disappeared we then worked for the good of the company

[fhayek]

One big sticking point was an unfunded pension liability of some $2 Billion. I would not be surprised if the union believed that a liquidated Hostess would give them a better shot at having the government (read: taxpayer) come to the rescue. And Barack Hussein Obama would be only too happy to comply.

[cotton1706]

I don’t think Hostess could shut down and relocate. The NLRB wouldn’t allow it. Look what happened to Boeing in SC. It would have to be done by a place that “happened to already have a factory” in a right to work, i.e. free state.

[Rusty0604]

I saw a video of some of the workers that were happy it’s over and they can collect unemployment and go get a better job. So if you quit your job you can’t get unemployment, but if you strike and make your company go out of business and lose you job, you can?

[Huskrrrr]

Rush seems to think a “Nationalized” Hostess is a possibility.

[Candor7]

[cotton1706]

With unions it’s all about getting paid while working under the table somewhere to avoid the taxes, while at the same time, vilifying the rich for not paying their fair share.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

THERE IS HOPE! DON'T GIVE UP!

[homegroan]

It seems that everything the Unions touch turns to crap at some point-and the workers end up in the toilet with the company having to flush them down the tubes along with their products.

How can workers love their Union knowing they are used this way?? It’s like an abusive marriage...

Have Unions ever made a company better?? Ever? Have they ever made the company lots and lots of money?

My guess would be a big fat NO just based on the fact that they have to have 2 trucks make a delivery-one for cake and one for bread...and how much is the cost of gas now? And I am so SURE their trucks are “green” too...

Next time I go shopping I will tell my husband I need to make 2 trips-one for food and another for cleaning products-he would promptly hide the keys and check the liquor cabinet.

All Unions seem to do is pillage, destroy and leave behind boarded up buildings; they are merely parasites who suck their host dry by any means possible and then just move on to their next victim...
I have detested Unions since about the 5th grade when I began to understand that the annual teacher’s strike in August was really about money- and not about teaching. I loved school and every single year they threatened me with “no school” unless they got more money...even as a 10 year old I knew that that was wrong-they made me sick but thankfully, also made me a Conservative :)

Suzy