[kcvl]

Who says intransigence doesn’t pay? After driving Hostess out of business by refusing to negotiate, union bakers have been rewarded by the White House with Trade Adjustment Assistance. It’s all the foreigners’ fault.

most workers at the bread and pastry maker, famous for its Twinkies and Ho Hos snack cakes, were willing to tighten their belts until good times returned.

They included hard-line unions, such as the Teamsters, not known for making concessions.

But there was one exception: the AFL-CIO-affiliated Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers International (BCTGM).

It refused to deal, taking the entire company, including fellow workers, down with it.

Turns out the union knew exactly what it was doing.

This week, the Labor Department decided to shower Hostess workers with Trade Adjustment Assistance, a multibillion-dollar pork barrel program that was beefed up as a bone to Democrats, who were blocking passage of three free-trade treaties in Congress in 2012.

TAA is a lavish program doled out by the Labor Department for laid-off workers who’ve lost their jobs due to “global trade.”

It provides worker retraining due to the supposed evils of free trade — plus moving expenses, baby-sitting expenses and as much as two years of unemployment pay. If a worker ends up making less than his union salary afterward, Uncle Sam spots the worker for 50% of the supposed lost wages in a “free” subsidy.

What’s more, “virtually anybody can qualify,” said TAA certifying officer Elliott Kushner in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/022213-645487-bankrupting-hostess-brings-union-workers-government-benefits.htm?p=full

[muawiyah]

Current conditions are such that none of these guys will ever get a job nearly as good as the one they had. Automation is driving employment out of the baking industry. Even tortillas are made by machines these days ~ pretty good ones too!

That special assistance will not provide them a 'living wage' BTW ~

[ConradofMontferrat]

Hey, KCVL,

I suspect you are a thinking person who has been spoon fed the parrot head squawking points.

But somewhere along the line, your brain kicked in and now you are severely conflicted.

Have a care, those you believe your friends and allies, will become your worst enemies.

I don’t know that many here have read your posts completely and because of that have jumped to crazy conclusions.

Your point about the AFL-CIO was what caught my attention. It was a good and valid point.

Call em as you see em.