freebird5825
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Bored? go to youtube and search on "Twinkie song"
ERD50 said:Would be interesting to be a fly on the wall in that room!
I can just picture the CEO - "We told you we'd have to shut down if you didn't compromise. We told you we weren't bluffing. The Teamsters told you the same thing. A bunch of other people lost their jobs because of you. So now you want to talk? Now?!?!? ...... Sure, let's make a deal."
-ERD50
The CEO of a bankrupt company has little room for self-righteous indignation...
The CEO of a bankrupt company has little room for self-righteous indignation...
HFWR said:The CEO of a bankrupt company has little room for self-righteous indignation...
At 125,000 a month, I imagine he could make a little room...
Perhaps, but I'm thinking that the CEO has more room for self-righteous indignation than the inept union boss who came razor close to getting his 5,000 members jobs lost forever.
Maybe, maybe not.
I haven't looked into the history of this particular CEO...
-ERD50
Perhaps that's not a good analogy; what I object to is the self-righteous indignation of those whose default position is that it's always the union's fault...........Granted, the baker's union's decision appears dumb, although they may still get a better deal in mediation. But a case study of Hostess would likely reveal a string of errors, bad decisions, and mismanagement by all involved.
I agree that there is enough blame to go around (and the Baker's union is dumb). I also concede that unions are a necessary evil in some cases to level the playing field and prod companies that would not naturally do so to treat and pay their employees fairly. I once had a client who was not unionized but paid its employees well and had good benefits - they were fairly paternalistic and benevolent and treated their employees fairly so there was really no need for a union. I wish more companies could behave that way. On the other side of the coin, I'm thinking Walmart and some other companies who use oodles of part-time jobs to avoid full-time employee benefit costs, pay minimum wage or barely more, etc.
OTOH, it seems too often that unions do more harm than good by insisting on nonsense work rules to artificially "create" more jobs (that result in more union dues) and strong-arm companies for benefits that companies can't afford (like pensions). As an example, I heard on an NPR interview that Hostess was precluded from having Twinkies and Wonder Bread delivered in the same truck according to union rules. I'm ok with unions negotiating pay and benefits, but when they start poking their noses into the way businesses are run it becomes a problem because they have an in-bred incentive to try to create jobs that are not economically viable.
Perhaps that's not a good analogy; what I object to is the self-righteous indignation of those whose default position is that it's always the union's fault...
As an example, I heard on an NPR interview that Hostess was precluded from having Twinkies and Wonder Bread delivered in the same truck according to union rules.
Unions have lost a big opportunity over the past 2 or 3 decades to reinvent themselves (IMHO). They still fight the labor battles of a century ago. Labor's greatest challenge today is acquiring skills that have value, workers need help here, and unions are in a unique position to provide that help. Some may be doing that but on a national scale this is not evident.
On Friday, Hostess said it would go out of business, blaming a strike by members of the BCTGM union. Workers who walked out accused the company of slashing benefits and wages while rewarding managers with substantial pay raises.
Florida-based private equity firm Sun Capital Partners said it hoped to buy the company with a more union-friendly deal, according to Fortune.
Flowers Foods, parent to the Nature’s Own brand, is also in the mix. The Georgia-based baking company said Monday that it has extended its loan agreements, allowing it to access more funds for “acquisition financing” and “expansion goals,” among other purposes. To analysts, the move signaled that Flowers is interested in picking up Hostess.
Hurst Capital filed a letter of intent in bankruptcy court Monday to buy Hostess’ assets -- including intellectual property and office supplies -- in a “multimillion dollar” offer.
Reports over the weekend also named Bimbo Group, the Mexican company that owns Sara Lee and Entenmann’s.
On Friday, Hostess said it would go out of business, blaming a strike by members of the BCTGM union. Workers who walked out accused the company of slashing benefits and wages while rewarding managers with substantial pay raises.
Shocking...
HFWR said:Fortunately, I suppose, depending on your view of Twinkies et al, there appears to be other interested parties, should the mediation fail.
Twinkies hope? Hostess puts off liquidation, agrees to mediation - latimes.com
Shocking...
I had read that the Hostess CEO, when the bakers walked out, made a very strong statement that there was no white knight waiting in the wings, unlike what the bakers had apparently been led to believe. I wonder if there really were.
HFWR said:See my post above...
I had read that the Hostess CEO, when the bakers walked out, made a very strong statement that there was no white knight waiting in the wings, unlike what the bakers had apparently been led to believe. I wonder if there really were.
easysurfer said:Looks to me like both sides are playing hardball calling each others' bluff, but have second thoughts and ask themselves "For the sake of twinkies , do we really want to play hardball?"
It's heartwarming . Someone should sell "Save the Twinkie!" teeshirts.
Yes, even some sort of worker skill certification process might help (especially as companies and workers are less loyal to each other, worker mobility is greater). But the skills are so quickly changing . . . it would require a lot of agility.Unions have lost a big opportunity over the past 2 or 3 decades to reinvent themselves (IMHO). They still fight the labor battles of a century ago. Labor's greatest challenge today is acquiring skills that have value, workers need help here, and unions are in a unique position to provide that help. Some may be doing that but on a national scale this is not evident.
Great idea. Looks like someone already has:
Image Detail for - Fifth Sun T Shirt, Save The Twinkie - Mens T-Shirts - Macy's