Bad news for the Utah economy this morning, as the Standard announces that "Hostess Brands Inc. says it's going out of business after striking workers across the country crippled its ability to make its Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread and other snacks":
Hostess employs about 570 people in Salt Lake City and Ogden, which are "home to two of its 36 regional bakeries," according to this morning's Salt Lake Tribune story:
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It's a sign of the times, we guess, in a crippled US economy and market where a union labor-produced product like Wonder Bread demands a buck per loaf premium over a nearly identical white bread product produced in a non-union shop.
And for those fanciers of Hostess's more delectable and exotic products, (Twinkies and Ding Dongs, for instance), don't make the mistake of thinking you can rush down to your local grocery and fill your pantry with a product which will last on your food storage shelves forever. The myth that a Hostess Twinkie (or a pack of Ding-Dongs, for that matter) will remain edible for "anywhere between fifty and one hundred years" has been thoroughly debunked:
But look at the bright side, Twinkie fanciers. We've scoured the net and have come up with a home kitchen recipe for those who don't wish to go totally "cold turkey" on Twinkies. Drumroll... here it is:
Does Weber County Forum cover the Ogden Lumpencitizens' backs on every important issue? Nevermind answering; we already know the answer to that.
Update 11/16/12 5:15 p.m.: This was inevitable, we suppose, with the increasing popularity of the White House citizen petition site:
Update 11/16/12 6:13 p.m.: Fox 13 News is now running a video story on this, which includes an interview with rarely-seen Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell, who's possibly barely recognizable to most Ogdenites sans his usual bicycling apparel:
Who knows? Maybe with a little luck, and some help from Ogden City's vaunted Economic Development Department, Mayor Mike might be able to hook up a few displaced Ogden Hostess employees with nice minimum wage jobs at Ogden's very newest bakery outfit.
So what say our gentle readers about all this?
Update 11/17/12 9:00 a.m.: And so begins the inevitable post-mortem exam:
Of course the right-wing media is quick to blame the unions, but in the end the union members would have lost more if they had capitulated to the vulture capitalists demands. By this move, they can hope to salvage the retirement plan, while if they’d given in they would have lost it all. $2 billion is a lot of money to just “give away” in negotiations. Of course the unions were expected to surrender despite the fact that the management company was asking the bankruptcy court to give their outgoing CEO up to $5.5 million. All of this was in addition to the 80% raises the executives were being treated to.
12 comments:
You know, this didn't have to happen. It was the union's fault like the one boy said. Yeah, it was all those greedy workers making royal wages of what, $24,000 to $36,000 a year who were too selfish to take another 20% pay cut on top of the pay cuts they already took.
Why could they not follow the lead of their leaders, who struggled with their hard jobs of silently looting millions of dollars out of every part of the company all for themselves, all the while steering the company off the cliff? Why oh why could the common workers not be more like their leaders?
The left hand of Satan, Mitt Romney, would have been proud. After a career of government sponsored (artificially low interest rate) destruction and looting, he doubtless looks at the Hostess hourly workers as part of the 47% of freeloaders. Why can't they learn how to be part of Rush Limbaugh's "wealth creators" like hellhound Mitt and his cronies?
But yeah, the corporate suits who looted Hostess and their ilk can't afford a small tax increase, no. Obama must be crazy to think they can. Thank goodness for the national Republicans who are fighting the good fight for the poor top 1%. They have suffered long enough.
Lastly, why can no one else see that this is not a free country anymore. It is a neofeudal fiefdom. Even the serfs (98% of the population) cannot see it. After all, why worry if there is still borrowing power left on the credit cards?
Bingo, Danny. when the smoke clears on this story, I do believe we'll learn that you've hit the nail squarely on the head.
Yesirree, Danny. Looks like an early story is already bearing your prediction out:
Hostess Bankrupt – Vulture Capitalists Picked Corpse Clean (VIDEO)
What BK judge is going to let them fleece the company during BK? The original manangement did...but during BK....doubt it.
Here's my educated "take," Smaatguy. The creditors will always control whatever happens in a bankruptcy case.
And who are Hostess's biggest creditors in this bankruptcy action?
The Union members who want to protect their retirement fund...
That's who!
This is the tip of the iceberg.... expect more of it...lets see what happens when its government unions...and why they have them is beyond me...and having the company be in charge of your retirement... well...there you go...
Don't get me wrong...bummer deal for those losing a job...
Just an FYI...those Baker's Union boys and girls don't seem to be suffering much...
http://www.unionfacts.com/union/Bakery%2C_Confectionary%2C_Tobacco_Workers_%26_Grain_Millers
Go to the link on that webpage "Leaders and Salaries"
Just watched the video..."what's the City doing"....Workforce services is blah blah blah....ummm...Workforce Services is the STATE not the city.... on another note...check out the front page of the Standard talking about buying local...too bad the local governments can't practice what they preach....I've pontificated on that before, but another round of spewing hogwash stirs it up....
Can you provide a link to the video?
Oh...sorry...the one that is in your lead article on Fox....with mystery mayor flappin....it's not a new video...
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