One more example of the late M Freidman´s question, "Is it better to be employed for $20 or unemployed at$30?".

I wouldn´t want the BCTRIUM union making bread anyway.

How did they determine this? A broad survey, or just two reporters finding a few people to match the story they wanted to write?

I have forgotten, what is the current length of government unemployment support? 1 1/2 years, 2 years, what?

Selfish pigs. If they were unhappy with their compensation package, they could find another job. Instead, they threw 18,000 of their coworkers out of their jobs.

FTA, ". I´d rather go work somewhere else or draw unemployment," Sums up the Obambi new normal. Americans are now more interested in being cradle to grave infants completely cared for by a benevolent goobernment.
We are doomed with cretins like this.

This just says it all, doesn´t it? Not only do you choose to go on the government teat, you think you have the right to drag several thousands of others whom may disagree with you, down as well. Got to love that mindset. If I can´t have it my way, instead of finding another job, I will screw everyone I can inmy misery. A true progressive. If I am miserable, then so will be you. I am sure all those involved would love to send personal thanks to you, on this Thanksgiving Day, please, do tell us your name?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why we are losing this country.

...utterly amazing ...a baker is probably at the top pf the chain ...but what about the others ....esp.in this economy ...dumb move!

I am sure the Baker´s spouse had other thoughts....

OK - - that´s 18,500 more 0bamaphones.

Wouldn´t you like to have the contract for THAT nice piece of business?

Your proposal is accepted.

The line from the movie Forrest Gump seems to fit these clowns, "Stupid is as stupid does!"

I would hazard a guess that the 18,500 employee number could be whittled down to about 5000 highly motivated, productive, non-union, better paid employees. It happens all the time when you carve the union out of the equation.

OK then! Years ago, I was fired. Cocky, I thought, "Great, now I can build my deck, between job interviews." Well, a few months in, my perspective changed. I don´t know how many jobs are out there for a Twinkie filler, but be certain, several months from now, these people will be looking at their union bosses (flush and employed) in a new light!

...I heard one of the union people interviewed on the radio, and he cited bloated salaries of exeds and mis-management (of course) for the company´s demise. If they are so all-fired sure that´s the problem, then I propose that the union and it´s employees buy the company and run it. Give the execs the same pay as the line workers, make no profit, etc, and see how that works for you...it would a grand example...

Now that never ending unemployment seems to be a constitutional right, who needs a job ?

These people are ignorant, arrogant, greedy pigs. I would not want to eat anything they made anyway. Disgusting people.

So the Teamsters are tossed under the bus...someone may be getting fitted for cement shoes before long. As for "bakers"...these clowns are equipment operators and ingredient hopper fillers...they couldn´t make refrigerator chocolate cookies given an oven of their own. Any baking skill was taken out of these jobs years ago.

And so you shall.....

And how do the 13,000 or so non-Bakers feel about the Bakers killing off their jobs just in time for the holidays? Happy Thanksgiving, guys, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Stuck On Stupid!

The company was in bankrupcy court, and the teamsters accepted the deal offered, so only 1 small union group decided the fate of all the other 18,000 employees.

Good luck finding another union job processing grain or hops.

I´m sure there are plenty in your town.

12 unions!! No wonder the company went under. Like ticks on a dog.

Too bad they couldn´t of just fired the assclown bakers instead of everybody who worked there...

FTA: ´´I´d rather go work somewhere else or draw unemployment,´´ said Johnson, a worker at Hostess for 23 years.

Generous unemployment insurance is a boat anchor on our economy. Obama´s lovin´ it as he doubles down on dependence at every opportunity. He is the pusher man when it comes to hooking us entitlements and on decreasing the American work ethic.
Conservatives and free marketers have an enormous public education challenge ahead of them.

Way too many groups capable of killing off this company. I doubt the factories will be closed long, most of the workers will be back doing the exact same job in a couple of months with different owners operating the factories. I do doubt they will hire the same executives who could not figure out a way to manage the company.

You´re getting your wish, idiots. We´ll check back with you when the unemployment checks stop.

Why not? We have a safety net that is more like a hammock.

And I liked another poster´s observation that the title ´´Baker´´ today means knowing where to find the ´´On´´ button on the fully automated Twinkie Mix, Bake and Ship machine.
Ridiculous situation. America´s being had by these desperate, thug unions wherever they connive still cling to power. They need to be gone.

We are not given the data, that is, the wages these employees were making and the benefits they received. We are creating opinions without sufficient information. I expect that
the employees feel they can do better on unemployment, food stamps, and other government benefits.

Go on strike, forfeit unemployment.

Hostess should have pulled the plug in the first bankruptcy rather than continue to support 12 unions. I can´t see how 12 different unions could be involved with the production of bread and sweets. For once the Teamsters Union showed some smarts, but too late.

#28: You´re getting your wish, idiots. We´ll check back with you when the unemployment checks stop.

That´s when he´ll go on disability.

not to worry depending which state they lieve ,they will get more money and "things" then when they" worked.

Before we condemn all of these employees, I would like to know how management has treated them. I bet that it hasn´t been good.

Just fixing number 8´s response:

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is why we lost this country."

As it is written, so shall it be.

Imagine their shock when they discover their Union management has been pilfering the funds over the years and there´s no money left for them to live on... as promised?

You figure if one takes advantage of all the government run social benefit and welfare programs, they probably add up to about $45,000.00. So why get up really early every morning to bake bread and twinkies and be paid about $35,000.00? You can see why a lot of people chose to vote for Obama to preserve those benefit and welfare programs.

A couple of people asked my question, how do you end up with 12 unions for making bread and pastry?

And management is on top of that, another set of skills.

IMO Hostess was headed for the ditch.

I´ll make a rough, very rough, estimate now:

Suppose the bakers had accepted an 8% cut.; 8% for 30% of the workers. And that wages are 40% of company costs. So Hostess would cut costs roughly 1%.

Do you think 1% would have saved Hostess? I don´t.

#40 you don´t understand. That 8% was for all 40% of the overhead - in other words - 3.2% right off the top. Yes, that could indeed mean the difference for a company dealing in 1-5% margins.

I heard Hostess is getting tons of buyout offers. I´m keeping my fingers crossed that the new owner(s) are US conservatives.

Look on the bright side. There will be 18500 fewer people stampeding into Walmart, Target and Best Buys tomorrow.....

#41 Your point taken. I didn´t realize it was to be a package deal, a cut for all 18,000 workers.

Or, other than wages, what overhead cuts? If management could have cut elsewhere why didn´t they? That is their job.

I think the bakers messed up by walking out. But it sounds like Hostess had fundamental problems anyway.

This was not just about wages and bonuses. The unions had imposed such onerous transportation regulations (two separate trucks, loaded by two separate crews, driven by two separate drivers - and none of which/whom could be used for any other product - bread for bread, Twinkie for Twinkie, and so forth, no crossing over - to take Hostess products to the same destination.

FTA:

Aside from those so-called onerous labor contracts, Hostess has grappled for some time with rising ingredient costs and a growing health consciousness that has made its sugary cakes less popular. It filed for bankruptcy in January, only three years after emerging from a prior bankruptcy.

Moochelle did her part, lobbying for no sweet treats anywhere. Not in vending machines, not at snack bars, not in hospital cafeterias, you name it. Banned. Let´s place blame where blame is due.

Give ´em what they want!

Maybe the company could convert from Twinkies to purple phones that play only jungle music. The DNC needs millions of them. Just name your price

And starting in January, the length of unemployment goes back to what? I wish it were 6 weeks.

On the up side, these people now have plenty of time to go from standing in the picket line to standing in the unemployment line, welfare line, food stamps line, disability benefits line, Obamaphone line and local soup kitchen line...

The union said new owners were needed...

New owners may not need the union...

The value of Hostess is in the brand names and the products can be made in more modern facilities with much less labor.

Wife of *former* Hostess bread plant manager here.

Twinkies had 140 calories. There were Twinkie and other Hostess cakes in 100 calorie packages.

Food companies have a very low profit margin, so yes, 1% could make a difference. Please stop making judgments until you have researched a company.

How were they treated by management? Every company has it´s share of jerks. Someone here said they were probably treated poorly. Please research before making judgments. They had excellent pay and benefits.

Union employees were not paying anything for health benefits, unlike non-union employees. They were asked to go from paying zero to 17%, like my husband paid.

Snack cakes could not be transported on bread trucks, and vice versa. Snack cake employees could not stock bread, etc.

Most jobs were simple, but there *are* jobs where you can´t just call temps in. Understanding how to work with dough takes time. Furthermore, Manpower refuses to send temps in to plants on strike. Some local temp services will, but who wants to be a vendor for a company in bankruptcy?

Hard to update equipment in plants when you are in bankruptcy. Hard to keep good management in place, and I mean locally as well as at the corporate level. At my husband´s plant, there were several management jobs unfilled. No one would come on board.

Union reps told employees that Hostess would come around after only 5 hours of strike. Others were told they would be bought out immediately. Well, there are some offers - for Twinkies, but nothing so far for the bread plants. So, hubby´s bread plant is sitting idle, and will most likely be liquidated very soon. For the poster who said they would all be back to work soon, I can only say that I wish you were right.

Idiots. All of them.

Where are 18,500 workers going to find jobs in this econonmy ?

Employees today have no clue what it costs for their employers to stay in business or the true cost of benefits. We have kids coming out of school with the impression they should make as much as their employer and they have poor work ethics. Hire someone today and wait for their probation officer to show up and their pay to be garnished for child support.

Good. They lost their jobs. Now they can suck off the goobermint teat.

Greed. I pay 25% of the cost of my medical. It doesn´t break me. But I could see how an employee could get spoiled from having to go from no contribution to 17%.

...especially draw unemployment.