Posted on 07/13/2013 4:55:38 PM PDT by mdittmar
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) President David B. Durkee issued the following statement in response to the impending re-entry by Hostess Brands, LLC, into the snack cake market:
“This coming week, Hostess Brands, LLC, is expected to re-enter the wholesale snack cake market. Despite the fanfare, the long-term viability of this effort is highly uncertain. Rather than hire professional, experienced bakers who have produced quality snack cakes in the company’s bakeries for decades, Hostess management has chosen instead to hire primarily workers with little or no experience in the demanding wholesale snack cake baking industry.
“The BCTGM has consistently stated our interest in working cooperatively and productively with the new owners of this company. We have always maintained that the experience, skill and professionalism of our members offer the new owners, who have no experience in the wholesale snack cake business, the best chance for long-term success in consistently putting out a quality product.
(Excerpt) Read more at aflcio.org ...
The work at one company until you retire, and get a nice pension at the end model of business is long dead. Its too bad they had to lose so much to learn what most have already learned.
Bingo! That's also my observation. The sponge cake used to be very soft. Hasn't been that way for decades...
Yes but I’d also point out that the teamsters honored their agreement and were quite pissed at the bakers union for screwing things up.
That does it... I’m goin’ Little Debbie!
When all this was happening I remember thinking that the bakers were making WAY lees than the drivers. IIRCC the bakers were making 15/hr which seems reasonable for unionized labor.
I’d move operations to a right-to-work state and tell the union to go suck it. Seeing what the “professional” bakers did the company on the last go-’round, I’d tell them to take it on down the road, too.
They’re not bakers, they’re pilots. They take the finished product off the assembly line and pile it in the warehouse.
Hate to see the unions losing ground yet again. Gee, I just wonder if they aren’t part of the problem?/s Maybe Obama should make an Executive Order (ie ‘the King commands) that every business HAS to have union workers. Then the IRS could make us all comply./s (x2)
Yeah really. Most of the process is probably automated anyway.
You’re probably right about assembly-line production. However, IMHO, it takes a lot of skill to be able to bake all types of baked goods — cakes, pastries, pies, breads, etc., I’ve worked in remote construction camps, the pastry chef was the most important, and most difficult to replace worker in the camp.
Your pastry chef is not running an automated line that makes thousands of cakes a day.
Might explain the waxing and waning of Hydrox.
They are for the most part factory workers; they are not Wolfgang Puck or Paula Deen.
Ha, this is from the AFL-CIO. Bye Bye unions, you are your own worst enemies.
Maybe the Union should put up a picket line in Washington DC at all the Walmart stores in that market.
If my purchasing habits can help break union strangleholds then look for me to be purchasing Twinkies and raspberry filled and chocolate filled cupcakes and ... whew, I'm making myself hungry!
I just love the writing from that period.
One of the former plants reopened is in Emporia, Kansas. Kansas is a right to work state. The bakery in St. Louis was not reopened. The Missouri democrats have fought right to wrok for the last 50 years.
We keep hearing from unions that Americans can’t compete. Apparently some U.S. workers compete just fine thankyou...
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