Hostess- Bye Bye Twinkies

[RidgeRunner]

Unionization is killing American Jobs.

http://www.latimes.com/business/mone...0,3714808.post

Union called their bluff one too many times. The unions don't want to negotiate and accept lower wages for their workers. They had rather put the corporations out of business, much like the Democrats don't want corporations to make profits.
So for the $10/week concession you couldn't make, all your workers are going to be unemployed.
I do not have a dog in the hunt. Not difficult to see why the jobs are going overseas. My question is: Do these workers collect unemployment now? Because I am sure 18,500 workers will be looking for a check now. I say make the union pay, as they are directly responsible and need to take responsibility for their actions.

[macojoe]

I hate Unions!! I was with one cause I had to, because I was a State worker.

After 8 years with the state I got sick, and now disabled. No fault of the job, but we do not pay Social Security tax, it gets payed into our retirement. So after working all my life, and the last 8 years for the State I can't collect SS cause I have paid nothing to them, they say collect from my job instead, but the Job says I don't have my 10 years to be vested, so I am **** out of luck!!
This was a Union vote some years back before I worked there. They said we do not have to pay State taxes cause of the Job, but no one told me that included SS so now I am in a hole were all I can get is $700 a month, but only if I get my truck repoed cause its worth more then the $5000 asset I am allowed. I have to get rid of my house cause the $1100 month mortgage is more then they will be giving me. We won't even get into the boat!
So if I get rid of the things I have worked my *** off for I can have there $700 a month and live like a homeless person.

[jasoncooperpcola]

No more twinkies? ? But but .. RIP twinkies

[RidgeRunner]

Wonder bread, ding-dongs and a lot more.
Someone said the workers wouldn't make minimum wage without the unions. An ex-employee said the owners trippled their wages a few years back, so I dunno? Maybe I am wrong, maybe the union really didn't have any clout in the negotiations. It will be on the news because someone has started a petition urging a government bail-out.

[phatdaddy]

good thing they have a shelf life of about 100 years

mj, sounds like when my parents got older, before we could get them any help, they had to impoverish themselves, with a 5 year lookback.

[smokeonthewater]

It sounds like MJ got a heck of a bad deal but to say that jobs go overseas because of the unions is really unfair and there are quite a few non union people that didn't get the retirement they thought theyed have due to things beyond their control... I am a pipeliner and a member of operating engineers local 450.... I make a little less money than the non union pipeline operators but I get health insurance and am vested for a pension after only 5 years although it would be a small one if I didn't work any more after that.
Our jobs go overseas because the cost of living in this country is WAY higher than in China or Honduras and we won't work for 25 c/hr and because our government taxes the snot out of everything we do but goes easy on big companies importing entire ships of cheap chinese goods and passes crap like nafta that helps pave the way to outsource labor... I for one feel that HUGE taxes on imported goods would fix the problem.

I don't know any of the twinkie details but if they actually folded over $10 a week that is a pretty dumb move BUT it wasn't the fault of all unions but rather a mass of people who voted against a contract.

I have worked both union and non union and have absolutely nothing against anyone working either way.....

[RidgeRunner]

There are a lot of factors driving US companies to buy or manufacture overseas. Not to single out unions at all, there are dozens of other reasons to move manufacturing overseas. The world moves on dollars, cheap labor due to the relatively cheap cost of living is one of the major attractors to move production plants overseas. I don't have a problem with the people (union or not), or unionization when it makes sense.
I would assume pipeline work requires you to work wherever they need a pipeline so moving it overseas probably isn't going to happen. On the other hand, Twinkies can be made anywhere and don't require skilled labor so why not move it all to Mexico where labor is cheap and the workers aren't unionized. Much simpler to deal one on one with your workforce than with the shop stuarts, organized labor and all the complexities of labor negotiations. (Not to mention- OSHA, DOR, DOL, IRS, EPA, DOA, FDA, DOH, 100,000 laws governing your every move as a business including being required to offer healthcare and workers comp for every employee here in the USA)
You gotta sell some serious twinkies to pull that off.. Just saying.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by smokeonthewater

I make a little less money than the non union pipeline operators but I get health insurance and am vested for a pension after only 5 years although it would be a small one if I didn't work any more after that. I for one feel that HUGE taxes on imported goods would fix the problem.

That must be a local kind of thing. I can tell you first hand that union workers (carpenters, plumbers, ironworkers, electricians, etc) in the tri-state area make (on average) a third to twice more than what a non-union worker makes. All our state contracts must go to union workers because their pay is considered the "prevailing wage" specified in state contracts. Even though we could (for example) pave our streets for a third less than what we are paying we are forced to pay the higher wage. (And in the process the non-union contractor and his workers are forced out of putting in a bid since the workers are not getting the "prevailing wage"). Unions are in bed with the government and vice versa.. That's why they want to maintain the status quo.

Gotta disagree with you on the huge tax increase on imported goods thing. Like any other expense, the additional cost would only be passed along to the consumer, and, at the same time, the governments of the imported makers would raise their own taffifs against American goods, so our manufacturers would not realize any additional sales.

And like you, I've been on both sides of the curtain as a union and a non-union worker. I feel that if a person wants to be in a union then more power to them, but, if a person doesn't want to be in a union then they should also be allowed to work without any penalties placed against them. Everyone should have the right to work as they want.

[chumbucket]

Even though the union representing the Hostess workers played a big part in the shut down by refusing to concede to certain issues during negotiations, they are not soley to blame. I read that among many factors, a big issue was a Federal Sugar Tariff placed on food corporations producing snack foods.
Thanks to the Obama administration. This crap is just going to keep getting worse folks. Get used to it. Wait until Obamacare kicks in.

[jasoncooperpcola]

nevermind