No More Twinkies

[Kathy53]

Now that Hostess is going out of business. I want a twinkie. Looked all thru Savemart and could not find any. Wanted to eat one last twinkie before they were all gone. To late. Funny thing is I really don't eat them other than one once a year or two. Wonder bread is gone to as it is made by hostess.

[Kevin A]

Here ya go!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOSTESS-TWINKIE ... 4abe9ac6a8

[Gage]

Hmmm, I guess I got lucky. I got a box of Twinkies and a box of the Cupcakes just yesterday at Sam's Club at a discounted price. Ebay, here I come.

[len19070]

I LOVED this comercial!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9AFxif9IsM

Happy Trails

Len

[mustangcats]

A Mexican company is looking to buy the Twinkies brand.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012 ... nkies?lite

[Shadow Catcher]

Another victim of vulture capitalism, I am fairly sure some one will buy the brand, hopefully before I run out of orange cupcakes

[GerryS]

Or, another victim of labor union excess...there's blame on both sides.

[Gage]

Or, another victim of labor union excess...there's blame on both sides.

I agree with you. Unions today ask for too much. Sometimes they just don't know when to take a break. I mean give me a break, even after Hostess said they were shutting the doors, the union was still out there picketing. Talk about dumb. ...........

[GerryS]

I'm truly worried. So many companies are working on the bubble. Now that tax rate are about to jump, health insurance costs skyrocketing (my insurance DOUBLED his year). The waves of pain are coming. I hope I'm wrong, but this doesn't look good.

If hostess as so bad to work for, these people could have voted with their feet and gone some place else....little debbie, Pepsi, coke, aunt Millie's. There are a good number of companies who's business model is so similar. They cold have done what I've done several times....learn a new skill....I've had to re-make myself 4 times in 15 years. And I'm much better for it. I'm making a LOT more than I wold had I stagnated into the "that's my Job" mindset.

It's not easy, and I don't know if I can do it again....but whatever happens I will never give in to the mindset of collectivism that is rampant in the union mindset.

Yes, unions did improve work conditions...but the only net step is parasitic, starving the host.

[Woodbutcher]

One of the closed factories is close by to me. There was a news story about some of the problems. The Union would not let the snack cakes and the bread be delivered on the same trucks. So double the delivery costs on an already cheap product. Then when it got to the store there were separate people to stock the shelves. Sometimes making jobs for people drives a company under. This may be one of those times. New reporters were interviewing the strikers the day before the company closed the doors. The workers were insisting they needed better wages and no concessions cause they had families to feed. Many of these people had worked at this factory for years. The teamsters came to an agreement but the Bakers union did not. I can't believe there is a huge need for industrial bakers any more. So where are all these people going to go now? Rather then make a little less they will settle for making nothing. Looks like they will be on the 99 week unemployment dole now. You can see why we as a country can not compromise not even at a Bakery.

[eamarquardt]

....................................................hopefully before I run out of orange cupcakes

Yup, about the only thing I liked were the orange cupcakes. Good stuff. The rest was pure junk food.

I'm certain there is enough blame for both sides. Management and craft.

Gus

[AceMan]

I'm sure it is tough working for a company that has Capital Investment ownership with a billion dollar debt while upper management get raises up to 80% shortly before their bankruptcy filing. So the workers are asked to take up to a 48% pay cut since 2004, lower their pension plans and pay more for their health benefits. It seems to me that the writing was on the wall and the Baker's Union knew the end was near. They have become a perfect scapegoat for a miss-managed company to lay the blame on. It gives them the perfect out to liquidate, take what money there may be left in the company and walk away from their responsibility to 18,000 workers.

Just my Opinion- You have a right to yours

[DTCOOPER]

I'm sure it is tough working for a company that has Capital Investment ownership with a billion dollar debt while upper management get raises up to 80% shortly before their bankruptcy filing. So the workers are asked to take up to a 48% pay cut since 2004, lower their pension plans and pay more for their health benefits. It seems to me that the writing was on the wall and the Baker's Union knew the end was near. They have become a perfect scapegoat for a miss-managed company to lay the blame on. It gives them the perfect out to liquidate, take what money there may be left in the company and walk away from their responsibility to 18,000 workers.

Just my Opinion- You have a right to yours

And I suppose I could guess where you stand on the GM Debacle as well??
How about the potential Wal-Mart walkouts scheduled for Friday ?

Those EVIL Rich People always keeping the "man" down, right ??

[jstrubberg]

Congratulations, union workers. Now you have no job at all. The phrase "cutting off your nose to spite your face" springs to mind.

[Shadow Catcher]

From one of the workers
In 2005 it was another contract year and this time there was no way out of concessions. The Union negotiated a deal that would save the company $150 million a year in labor. It was a tough internal battle to get people to vote for it. We turned it down twice. Finally the Union told us it was in our best interest and something had to give. So many
of us, including myself, changed our votes and took the offer. Remember that next time you see CEO Rayburn on tv stating that we haven't sacrificed for this company. The company then emerged from bankruptcy.
In 2005 before concessions I made $48,000, last year I made $34,000. My pay changed dramatically but at least I was still contributing to my self-funded pension.

In July of 2011 we received a letter from the company. It said that the $3+ per hour that we as a Union contribute to the pension was going to be 'borrowed' by the company until they could be profitable again....

This money will never be paid back. The company filed for bankruptcy and the judge ruled that the $3+ per hour was a debt the company couldn't repay. The Union continued to work despite this theft of our self-funded pension contributions for over a year....

What was this last/best/final offer? You'd never know by watching the main stream media tell the story. So here you go:



1) 8% hourly pay cut in year 1 with additional cuts totaling 27% over 5 years. Currently, I make $16.12 an hour at TOP rate of pay in the bakery. I would drop to $11.26 in 5 years.

2) They get to keep our $3+ an hour forever.

3) Doubling of weekly insurance premium.

4) Lowering of overall quality of insurance plan.

5) TOTAL withdrawal from ALL pensions. If you don't have it now then you never will.

....Remember how I said I made $48,000 in 2005 and $34,000 last year? I would make $25,000 in 5 years if I took their offer.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-ho ... 8001.story
Managers bonus for shutting down Hostess

From that article
union officials and line workers said last week that union workers had already agreed to a series of concessions over the years and the company had failed to invest in brand
marketing and modernization of plants and trucks, instead focusing on enriching owners such as private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings and hedge funds Silver Point Capital and
Monarch Alternative Capital.