17 an hour is not very much....34,000 a year.
It does depend somewhat though on where the plants are located. Even in Boston (where I am), there are people who make less in spite of the high cost of living, but in some parts of the country, I believe the cost of living is significantly lower.
Of course, I’ve been wondering too how much of a hit Hostess has been taking from Michelle Obama’s “healthy eating” pogrom — oops! I mean program! I imagine Hostess treats would have been among those in school vending machines before the junk food jihad started. (School vending machines, not to mention school cafeterias, came well after my time, so I’m not sure!)