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Twinkie maker Hostess Brands to shut down

By Bloomberg News

This article was published November 16, 2012 at 7:09 a.m.

Hostess ceases operations; 18,500 out of work

Hostess, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, is going out of business, closing plants, laying off its 18,500 workers and putting its brands up for sale.
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Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Wonder bread and Twinkies, said Friday that it will shut down and liquidate after a strike by members of its bakery workers’ union “crippled” the company’s operations.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” Chief Executive Officer Gregory F. Rayburn said in a statement.

“Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”

The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last Friday after a bankruptcy judge in White Plains, N.Y., imposed contract concessions that 92 percent of the union’s workers rejected.

Hostess closed three of its 36 plants permanently Monday, blaming the strike.

Hostess said it determined Thursday night that not enough employees had returned to work to restore normal operations. The wind-down will close the remaining 33 bakeries and 565 distribution centers, Hostess said.

See what local Hostess outlet workers and customers have to say here.

Comments on: Twinkie maker Hostess Brands to shut down

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MenLR2 says... November 16, 2012 at 7:35 a.m.

Go Union! .... ... NOT

Now someone else will purchase it all and open back up non-union....

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TheBatt says... November 16, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.

Unions represent one of the biggest threats to our economy. A hundred years ago, unions served a purpose- they helped secure safe working conditions. Then the $ and power did its job and corruption took over.

Now, it's all about extortion. GM was a prime example- the sweetheart deals the union forced the company to accept (GM as well) bankrupted them.

Unions would rather a company shut down putting all their workers out of work, than make concessions that keep the company slice so the emoyees HAVE a JOB.

Consider New Jersey- wracked by widespread damage and power outages, crews from Southern, non-union states traveled hundreds of miles to help.. But we're turned away, not because they were unqualified, but because they were not members of the union.

And of course, it is these same unions who pump $millions into elections in support of Socialists. Imagine that.

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T6 says... November 16, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.

Ohs noes, no more twinkies? All their union had to do was take an 8% pay cut to still have a job. BUT NO !! They weren't satisfied to be working, they were greedy. The new contract cut salaries across the company by 8% in the first year of the five-year agreement. Salaries were then scheduled to bump up 3% in the next three years and 1% in the final year. Real smart, No 8% cut, but 100% out of work!!!!
Oh well Obama will get them a job!!

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mrlloyd says... November 16, 2012 at 8:10 a.m.

way to go union leaders!

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 16, 2012 at 8:11 a.m.

Posturing.

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 16, 2012 at 8:17 a.m.

Or maybe the bankers have calculated that they can grab a slightly higher rate of return by busting the union and taking away the jobs of all those employees.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 8:21 a.m.

How much money will the union execs make today compared to their unemployed folks that just lost their jobs? The great thing about our country is we get to make choices and live with the consequences. I hope the 92% is happy!

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rbrooks715 says... November 16, 2012 at 8:24 a.m.

the good news is that you can now work for less. that will help the economy. not. unions secured decent working conditions, over time and a decent wage. bust the unions and you will be working for $5 a day. enjoy.

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rbrooks715 says... November 16, 2012 at 8:25 a.m.

the gop has a plan. you can be replaced by a cheap labor immigrant.

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T6 says... November 16, 2012 at 8:42 a.m.

18,500 people out of a job! No way you can lay this at the republican's feet, as much as you would like to! Remind me again who wants amnesty for illegals to take those jobs moron!!!!! Hey how's that More Hope and More Change working?

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 8:52 a.m.

All the stupid people in the US will spend their time blaming one party or the other while jobs are lost.

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NWAConsumerReview says... November 16, 2012 at 9:12 a.m.

Generally speaking, unionized workers enjoy as the result of union organization and collective bargaining: higher wages; more and better benefits; more effective utilization of social insurance programs; and more effective enforcement of legislated labor protections such as safety, health, and overtime regulations.

Unions also set pay standards and practices that raise the wages of nonunionized workers in occupations and industries where there is a strong union presence. Collective bargaining fuels innovations in wages, benefits, and work practices that affect both unionized and nonunionized workers.

Unions enable due process in the workplace and facilitate a strong worker voice in the broader community and in politics. A strong labor movement is essential to a thriving democracy to act as a 'check and balance' against the generally more financially elite owners of corporations.

This "Twinkie" situation is very isolated since an analyses of the union effect on firms and the economy has generally found unions to be a positive force, improving the performance of firms and contributing to economic growth (Freeman and Medoff 1984; Mishel and Voos 1992; Belman 1992; Belman and Block 2002; Stiglitz 2000; Freeman and Kleiner 1999; Hristus and Laroche 2003).

There is nothing in the extensive economic analysis of unions to suggest that there are economic costs that offset the positive union impact on the wages, benefits, and labor protections of unionized and nonunionized workers. Unions not only improve workers’ benefits, they also contribute to due process and provide a democratic voice for workers at the workplace and in the larger society.

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hah406 says... November 16, 2012 at 9:23 a.m.

Just wondering...what is the union pay scale for job catagory "unemployed"...and will they all get credit for previous time in other positions, or will they have to start at the bottom of the scale?

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NoUserName says... November 16, 2012 at 9:25 a.m.

Wait...so a bankruptcy judge imposed concessions and...the union struck as a result? Is that a legal strike?

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harley1305121514 says... November 16, 2012 at 9:27 a.m.

T6... you said it about as true as it can be said! Hostess Brands will be operating under another name, plants will re-open and it will look like "Little Mexico" in a short while. Everyone will be happy again to see Mexican Twinkie's except the 18,500 union workers who are looking for work in the fast food industry and find there are no openings due to all positions being filled by legal illegal Mexican workers!
Obama's plan of action to "help the middle class working people"!!!!

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harley1305121514 says... November 16, 2012 at 10:04 a.m.

I too agree that unions have a place in the labor world. The problem is that for every dime of increased pay that unions help get for the workers, they (union) get 4 cents of that dime in union dues. Do the math on the average hourly pay and the unions take of that pay, multiply that by the number of union members and you come up with a number that makes the union a wealthy corporation that pays it officers huge sums and not one officer ever has to go on strike and lose any of their pay in the process of striking to get workers another dime of which the union will get another 4 cents an hour per member.
Eventually the unions will get back the lost money from the loss of 18,500 workers by convincing the legal illegal Mexican workers to unionize and then they will go up to 5 cents an hour for every dime of increase they get those workers!
Unions do business exactly as every big corporation! They make money for the big boys at the top and that will never change! When has it ever been different than that?
People...either get into the game of big business or except your choice of your place in the working world and adjust accordingly and be happy! We are ALL here in THIS life for a short while......stop making your life miserable!

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lazybar says... November 16, 2012 at 10:06 a.m.

gotta love the unions.they ran reynolds and alcoa out of the state.they sent autoworker and caterpillar jobs to japan.now they have broke the twinkie industry

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rbrooks715 says... November 16, 2012 at 12:10 p.m.

the gop was the last to grant amnesty. they opened the door for increased immigration. if you support the gop policy, then you support lowering your wages.
18,500 employees were not the problem. the millions who now receive less in return for their labor are the problem. less pay equates to fewer customers. american business is unwilling to address that problem. american business' moved to low wage country's and then have to export their product. simply because the low wage labor can not afford to buy the product they manufacture.
some americans think lower wages would be beneficial to our economy. it is the problem, not the solution.
if you support lower wages, then you must be willing to accept lower wages.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 12:47 p.m.

rbrooks you are a hoot! Thanks for the lesson in the American economy while the rest of us realize we live in a global economy.

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drs01 says... November 16, 2012 at 1:08 p.m.

Now the Chinese will buy the assets, and we'll have to eat our Twinkies with chop sticks. Damn you, unions.

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rainbowharold55 says... November 16, 2012 at 1:33 p.m.

Yeah, let's blame the workers. Forget about the fact that management was so incompetent that they had to file for bankruptcy TWICE in the last few years. Forget about the fact that this company refused to create healthier fare in a waist-conscious atmosphere.

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lazybar says... November 16, 2012 at 1:55 p.m.

rainbow how is it managements fault they are paying workers $20 per hour for a $8 per hour job?how many $5 twinkes do you think they could sell?

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 2:15 p.m.

Let's see, McKee Foods (Little Debbie) is non union with much lower prices and produces junk food just like Hostess and has been kicking their arse for years. I'm trying to figure out a correlation here. Someone please help me out, I'm just so confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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1soni says... November 16, 2012 at 2:18 p.m.

1st Bankruptcy in 2004 - Yep, it must be Obama's fault. They told St Louis months before the strike that they would be shutting down, yep, unions at fault. They stopped contributing to pensions in August of 2011, yep, employees fault.

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harley1305121514 says... November 16, 2012 at 2:34 p.m.

A company that refuses to offer their baked goods in a healthier fare never held a gun to anyones head and made them eat their twinkies.
Waist conscious people should be smart enough to NOT eat twinkies and such!
Bankruptcy can come about when uncontroled forces such as unions have made it no longer profitable to operate and is the case of Hostess. When workers start to threaten a business and strike and become unreasonable, they can expect to some businesses to strike back. 18,500 workers just found that out! The heads of the union are still living comfortably and getting their paychecks!

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 3:05 p.m.

NWAConsumer had the most sensible and informed post on here. I'm proud that my husband was willing to do the hard, dangerous work necessary to be a Steelworker, and know that without union influence, the work would have been more dangerous, and we wouldn't have had excellent health care, decent wages, and a pension plan and 401k match. He wouldn't have had two year call back rights after layoff, which could have totally changed the course of our lives for the worse. It is because of a good union job that we own a home and have retirement money to cover our needs. This is what all workers should have.
Some of you think the rest of the world is supposed to be your peon colony and make your goods for low wages and no benefits because you're better than them and deserve it. Get over yourselves----you're not special. All work is honorable, necessary, and deserves just compensation. And I'm not doing any damn definition assignments for the RWNJ's, so don't even ask. I am deliriously happy that we got a fair deal and people like you weren't involved to stop it. You can't stand to see people like us have anything. Too bad, how sad, be mad.

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 3:26 p.m.

Harold makes an excellent point that Hostess was in trouble because they made no effort to offer a healthier snack option for more informed consumers. Many other companies have made changes, and they are still in business. I can't remember the last time I bought either Hostess or Little Debbie.
They didn't want to be bothered by offering some healthier choices alongside their traditional products on the shelf, so modern consumers passed them by. They wanted the workers to take the brunt of their bad business decision. The worker can't go to the store and say, "hey, I have to pay less for this gallon of milk because my company made bad decisions and tried to make up for it by cutting my pay".

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lazybar says... November 16, 2012 at 3:34 p.m.

inquire the days of old when unions were needed for steel workers is long out dated.yes a hundred years ago unions were much needed now days unions only produce overpriced lower quality products that can`t compete.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 3:58 p.m.

Aww aren't you cute inquire, telling other people to be mad when you are madder than a wet hen. BTW is a RWNJ the same as a LWBC like you?

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 4:02 p.m.

Lazybar, if unions are no longer needed, why don't most non union workers have decent wages, health care, and pensions? Why are unsafe working conditions more prevalent in non union shops? If you think it is the new generation of workers knocked down from the middle class, and making only eight or ten dollars an hour for skilled labor, that has the purchasing power to bring back the economy, think again.

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 4:13 p.m.

Holden, some days I just get tired of all the crap on here and decide to strike back. Don't like it, tough! The more you guys try to act like you learned nothing from your whipping on Nov. 6, with all your made up scandals and such, the more empowered I feel to speak out. If you quit talking like a bunch of crazies and start telling the truth, I'll go away. If you don't, then I'll speak my mind when I choose to. If you don't like working class people talking at you, start speaking of them with respect instead of acting like they were put on this earth to do your bidding for a bowl of gruel and a pallet to sleep on.

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lazybar says... November 16, 2012 at 4:36 p.m.

inquire you ever hear of toyota?did they need a bail out?did they move jobs to japan,no they moved jobs here.good jobs good pay and benefits all with no union.
oh yeah nbc anounced they are laying off 500 people.how is your job creator building more jobs again?

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T6 says... November 16, 2012 at 5:38 p.m.

Inquire... You are proof that age does not always bring wisdom!!!!

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 5:48 p.m.

We are creating more jobs now. We were losing them at a rate of 800,000 per month when Obama took office. There will always be some companies who are cutting jobs. That does not negate the fact that there are MORE jobs now. They stock market is up substantially from when Obama came in. Many businesses are improving. Wisdom is knowing that years of damage cannot be undone quickly. When you are showing improvement, you are on the right track and need to be patient. The majority of the American people understood this.
A big part of what job loss there has been since Obama took office was caused by tea baggers treating government workers, teachers, policemen, etc., as if they were of no value and getting rid of as many as possible.

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inquire says... November 16, 2012 at 5:58 p.m.

The ever half truthful ADG left out that this was NOT the first wage cuts. These people agreed to wage cuts before. Worst of all, the ADG left out the most important part of the story. According to CBS News, they wanted to take away their PENSION! Some of these people had as much as 37 years with the company, nearing retirement, and they want to take away the pensions. That is such a catastrophe that I can see why the workers voted to not be cowed down by threats again. Better to let the chips fall and move on once the pension is gone. What the hell do they think keeps a person getting up every day and going back for more of the same, but the promise of a pension?

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MenLR2 says... November 16, 2012 at 6:56 p.m.

@NWA ... It is not "very isolated" if you are the one who will no longer draw a paycheck. "democratic voice for workers" .... They are employees, not a country... why should they have a voice in the workplace? Either they like what happens at work or they quit.... ??

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RBBrittain says... November 16, 2012 at 7:15 p.m.

Like it or not, folks, there's plenty of blame to go around. Hostess' former management ignored the changing times till it was too late, i.e., the only choices were cut labor costs or shut down; by then you can't undo poor management. However, once that became clear, while some unions (Teamsters) saw the light and made further concessions, others (BCTGM) became delusional and put the final nail in Hostess' coffin. Unions didn't put Hostess in the hospital, but once in they made it flatline.

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T6 says... November 16, 2012 at 9:05 p.m.

Let's face it Hostess brand twinkies, ho hos and ding dongs are not as good as they were years ago. The filling has totally changed and is nothing but sugar and they don't taste anything like they used to. The same goes for the Little Debbie brand.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 9:10 p.m.

RB is correct; go check out the Sunbelt line of granola bars McKee Foods has now. They saw the future of more health conscious consumers and started producing that line. I started disliking unions back in my Safeway days when I watched so many subpar employees keep their jobs when they would have been fired elsewhere. We had so many overpaid employees it was ridiculous, but I knew to work hard without any unions help. Unions got us going in the right direction but every time I see their solution to a problem is to strike I know why they have outlived their usefulness. Unions are like diapers; they are good for awhile but eventually they need to go away or they just become something the worst ones become dependent upon and refuse to adapt to change.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 16, 2012 at 11:05 p.m.

Let's not forget the most important question; what will they do in CO and WA with legalized marijuana and no Twinkies or Ding Dongs? That is some cruel karma

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cliffcarson says... November 17, 2012 at 11:17 a.m.

Just think
Without unions the owners would be most benevolent and always make sure the workers - you know the people that make the their money - "Our employees are our most important asset" - type of crap.
The last year before I retired the President of the company I worked for notified the "most important asset" that there would be no raise because the profit goals hadn't been reached. He then he accepted his bonus for the year that was greater than the combined annual salaries of all the employees who worked there. He was so richly rewarded because the company had realized record profits.
Yeah, who needs a union. This company was non union.

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inquire says... November 17, 2012 at 2:52 p.m.

All too common, Cliff. I remember one contract year at my husbands job when the company wanted some give backs, crying poor. The union negotiating committee said "fine, show us the books. If it really looks that bad, we'll recommend that the members accept it." The company refused to show the books, there were no give backs, and the company is still running many years later.

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 17, 2012 at 3:08 p.m.

Old bankruptcy observation. It. Is. Always. Management's. Fault. See current article on Forbes. Management repeatedly loaded up debt and gave themselves raises while - indeed FOR - asking for and obtaining employee concessions.

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inquire says... November 17, 2012 at 5:39 p.m.

I went to Forbes and read that article. I wonder what the union haters think about someone writing for Forbes, of all publications, saying it was management's fault, not the union's?

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 17, 2012 at 8 p.m.

I found it it was not the unions fault. All the Ho Ho's sucked the filling out of the Ding Dongs and that ended it all.

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T6 says... November 17, 2012 at 10:05 p.m.

Top Ten Highest Paid Leaders of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers BCTGMI
FRANK HURT PRESIDENT $262,654.00
DAVID DURKEE SECRETARY-TREASURER $244,396.00
JOSEPH THIBODEAU EXEC VICE PRESIDENT $218,989.00
STEVE BERTELLI VICE PRESIDENT $198,062.00
MICHAEL KONESKO VICE PRESIDENT $184,297.00
ARTHUR MONTMINY VICE PRESIDENT $175,505.00
ANTHONY JOHNSON VICE PRESIDENT $167,433.00
ROBERT OAKLEY VICE PRESIDENT $167,265.00
RANDY ROARK VICE PRESIDENT $166,849.00
SEAN KELLY VICE PRESIDENT $161,789.00

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inquire says... November 17, 2012 at 10:43 p.m.

As Hostess prepared for yet another bankruptcy filing earlier this year, the CEO was awarded a 300% raise, from $750,000 to $2,550,000. Nine other executives were given raises of 35% to 80%. This while workers were already living with previous wage cuts and the contractually obligated payments to their pension plan were not being made.
Hostess saved $110 million with the wage cuts, but did not reinvest it in the business. Aging trucks and machinery were not replaced. None of their recent CEOs have had any real experience in the wholesale baking business. Yet they made more and more money, while loading the company with more debt and taking wages and pension payments from the workers.
Hostess executives are criminal scum dirtbags.

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T6 says... November 18, 2012 at 8:55 a.m.

JOHN PRICE REPRESENTATIVE $109,645.00 $49,379.00 $159,024.00
JAMES RIVERS REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $51,922.00 $151,567.00
HARRY KAISER ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT $137,637.00 $12,127.00 $149,764.00
CESAR CALDERON ORGANIZER $99,645.00 $49,206.00 $148,851.00
BARBARA FIELDS REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $47,239.00 $146,884.00
RAYMOND SCANNELL RESEARCH DIRECTOR $137,637.00 $8,292.00 $145,929.00
RICHARD YEAGER FINANCE DIRECTOR $137,637.00 $8,207.00 $145,844.00
ANTHONY SHELTON REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $44,729.00 $144,374.00
JOHN PURVIS REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $40,860.00 $140,505.00
MARCO MENDOZA REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $38,107.00 $137,752.00
BLAINE WILLIAMS REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $36,331.00 $135,976.00
JETHRO HEAD REPRESENTATIVE $95,430.00 $39,381.00 $134,811.00
KARL WALKER ORGANIZER $98,549.00 $32,484.00 $131,033.00
JAMES CONDRAN REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $29,049.00 $128,694.00
ERIC ANDERSON REPRESENTATIVE $99,645.00 $28,135.00 $127,780.00
SYLVAIN GAGNE ORGANIZER $98,549.00 $27,810.00 $126,359.00
DANIEL RONDOU REPRESENTATIVE $98,549.00 $27,329.00 $125,878.00
RANDY FULK REPRESENTATIVE $88,479.00 $35,342.00 $123,821.00
CORRINA CHRISTENSEN PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR $100,905.00 $6,674.00 $107,579.00
MATTHEW CLARK RESEARCH ASSISTANT $79,625.00 $8,147.00 $87,772.00
RONALD TETRICK DATA COORDINATOR $84,308.00 $100.00 $84,408.00
MARY MALLOY ACCOUNTANT $73,105.00 $100.00 $73,205.00
MICHELLE HURT NEW MEDIA DIRECTOR $66,209.00 $4,932.00 $71,141.00
KAY HALL SECRETARY $66,281.00 $1,073.00 $67,354.00
DANIEL MCDERMITT ACCOUNTANT $65,562.00 $100.00 $65,662.00
MARIE-FRAN GARDNER SECRETARY $63,806.00 $100.00 $63,906.00
WILLIAM HILLIARD ORGANIZER $45,840.00 $12,064.00 $57,904.00
MICHELE SHIRRON SECRETARY $49,572.00 $100.00 $49,672.00
COLIN DURKEE STOCKROOM CLERK $48,685.00 $100.00 $48,785.00
LINDA BRUNSON RECEPTIONIST $48,496.00 $100.00 $48,596.00
BONNY PALMER PUBLICATION SPECIALIST $47,801.00 $0.00 $47,801.00
JACQUELINE MARQUES DATA COORDINATOR $46,261.00 $100.00 $46,361.00

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inquire says... November 18, 2012 at 11:25 a.m.

So? My post is still true, and damning. My experience is with the United Steelworkers, a strong union that, in return for a few dollars a week in dues was the reason we had a good income, excellent affordable health care, and most important of all, a pension. They are the reason for employee safety inspection committees, call back rights, and representation in disputes to make sure the contract was followed. Whatever the staff made, they were worth it. They were the reason for all we got. If there had been no union and no dues paid, it would have been a big net loss to us.
You labor haters can't seem to understand that with the employer having the Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturer's Association to represent them and spend big bucks to try to skew the system their way, the working man must also have someone to represent his interests. Or maybe you do understand it, you just hate to see the working man not living in a slum with no health care and no pension. Too bad, how, sad, be mad, we don't give a flying flip.

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T6 says... November 18, 2012 at 12:49 p.m.

zerohedge. com/news/2012-11-16/hostess-liquidation-curious-cast-characters-twinkie-tumbles

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 18, 2012 at 4:52 p.m.

Good ole USW; I would debate it, but being in the steel business it would not be a fair fight.

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Packman says... November 18, 2012 at 9:08 p.m.

Hmmmmm, was the judge part of "management"? A truly independent arbitrator finds for concessions and the titty-baby union members decide they had rather be unemployed than work for an average wage and benefit package 75% above the regional average (prove me wrong on this, inquire, I double-dog dare you).

Hey inquire - I've been working on a deal today to add 30 plus prime acres to my duck hunting spot but if so won't be able to give my employees much of a Christmas bonus this year. I'm leaning toward buying the acreage. Does that make you mad?

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DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... November 18, 2012 at 9:12 p.m.

Well the fat farms will become smaller.

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inquire says... November 18, 2012 at 9:31 p.m.

Packman, your attitude toward Labor is disgusting. As I said before, I'm so glad we got what we have and someone like you wasn't able to do a damn thing about it.
This afternoon I helped prepare the commodities for tomorrow's distribution. The woman in charge told me that when her mission group goes to Mexico, they stay in a house owned by the church and hire a cook while there. They pay her high wages for the area--four dollars a day. People like you want that life for the working people of the US.

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T6 says... November 19, 2012 at 6:08 a.m.

Union vampires slowly suck the blood out of businesses with their union rules, pension costs, and low productivity. Union drivers that were delivering bread would refuse to carry the cake products and vice-versa. This tactic forced the company to employ twice as many drivers as actually necessary.

Union leaders would have you believe the workers were giving major concessions.
What Hostess wanted from the workers was a baker making $1,000 a week would have to take a pay cut of $80 and contribute about $20 more toward his healthcare costs. That baker is now taking a $1,000 per week less!!!!!!!!!!

In 2009 When the owners of the Stella D'oro biscuit factory in the Bronx told the workers of Local 50 of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers that the plant could not continue to operate unless they took a pay cut from their $18-$23 per hour jobs and a reduction of the 9 weeks of paid leave, 134 workers went on a 10 month strike rather than save the plant.

An administrative law judge in July ordered the factory to reinstate the striking workers. What happened? Stella Di oOro closed down moved to Ohio.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 19, 2012 at 7:58 a.m.

Bimbo made an offer to buy them for $580 million last year and now they are saying they may buy them for around $150 million. We need to figure out the Spanish words for Ding Dongs, Twinkies, etc, etc, etc. I'm wondering if they will now use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup if they are made south of the border?

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LevitiCuss says... November 19, 2012 at 9:18 a.m.

@LazyBar RE: Toyota: Toyota and Nissan were both created with money from the Japanese government. Read a book sometime. Turn off FOX.

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NWAConsumerReview says... November 19, 2012 at 9:45 a.m.

Yes ... LevitiCuss ... Media Manipulation is so easy to do for well heeled corporations. Call a press conference with Fox News, blame all your troubles on the workers and this becomes the only fact and reality for the general public. The general public is not presented both sides of the story and does not have time generally to access all the facts. This is largely a result of a press that no longer covers the labor side of issues. In the past there were reporters who were assigned to cover the worker side of the issues but these days usually only the business side is given.

With additional information, the general public would know that these workers had allready taken 27% to 32% cuts in wages and benefits. During this same period, management gave themselves significant raises, the CEO got a 300% raise, going from $750,000 to $2,225,000 in salary. Other management officials received hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary increases. Do you think the average rank and file in a company would have the resources to pursue damages against these gangsters without some very smart people on their team representing them? Of course not, that is why union officials are well paid ... they need VERY smart people to "negotiate" with this type of scum.

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lazybar says... November 19, 2012 at 9:49 a.m.

so was volkswagon,whats your point?

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harley1305121514 says... November 19, 2012 at noon

Inquire is on a tear with the world. She hates the leaders and the management of big corporations recieving big money while the common workers get much much less! The monetary rewards for CEO's, presidents, CFO's, COO's, VP's etc. and the senior management are much greater for a very good reason. Has anyone besides myself (I know this excludes Inquire and her steel working husband) ever served in an executive position with a large corporation? Does anyone know how much personal time the average successful executive puts into their average week, month, year? Or how much time they are away from their homes and their families? Or the amount of stress that comes with performing to the expectations of the board of directors and the investors?
Hell yes I was going to make a hell-of-a-lot more money than the average worker that started their day at 8am and went home at 5pm or whatever hours it took for them to put in their 40 hours a week and then used all of their vacation and sick days every year!
IT'S A CHOICE ONE MAKES FOR THEIR FUTURE!! In the real work world ANYONE can and will get FROM their job as much as they are WILLING to put INTO it!
All of the "pissing and moaning" that people do about life not being fair to them, AREN'T WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES AND PUT IN THE EFFORT!!!!!!!
Unions might get the average worker a few more dollars and a few more benefits but the Unions will never get you running with the "Big Dogs"!
One big question, How in hells name do you make twinkies or any other junk cakes healthier?

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 19, 2012 at 12:26 p.m.

Management is asking for additional 75% + bonus to stay on and handle the proposed liquidation.

But management really is not in charge anymore either; hedge fund investors are. See current Fortune article.

Bankruptcy judges do not determine what a fair deal with the unions would be. They either approve, or not, proposals to reject the legal obligations of the company under its collective bargaining agreements. In approving a rejection, or partial rejection, they listen to testimony from current creditors - the hedge funds - as to what would be necessary to make the company attractive to new potential investors - again the same or other hedge funds.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 19, 2012 at 12:56 p.m.

Harley I think inquire needs to enter a 12 step program to wean her off of the Haterade

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inquire says... November 19, 2012 at 2:03 p.m.

NWAConsumer, I already told them about the CEO getting a 300% pay increase while preparing for bankruptcy and not making the pension payments. They know. They don't care. Their kind think that is just fine.
As for you labor hating right wing nut jobs, you really flatter yourselves to think I want to run with "the big dogs." The big dogs are often very immoral people in a thin veneer of morality. I do not look up to them. I am not filled with hatred. That is what you call it when I can see through your kind and can know the truth. For the most part, I feel that we have had a good life. Once my husband gave up radio and went to work in a union plant, he was well compensated. The point is, it was NOT because management --with a few exceptions--wanted to do the right thing. It was because of collective bargaining. You love the capitalist system. You want to get all you can for your product. The working man's labor is his product, and he wants to get all he can for it. That is a piece of his life he sells everyday. You should not get it cheap.
T6, $18 to $23 an hour allows for a modest but comfortable standard of living in Arkansas. In New York, it would not. Try going on line and check the cost of rent, or buying a house, or property taxes in the northeast. I have, and it is frightening. I don't know how they get ordinary workers to stay in that part of the country.
Another thing, when companies are telling the press how much an hour their people make, they are often not actually giving the hourly wage. They inflate it with the calculated hourly cost of all benefits.
I am not on a tear with the world. I am just sick to death of you arrogant labor hating, right wing nuts on here. You can't seem to comprehend that the country made it plain your kind is no longer chosen.
You claim Obama won by a small percentage. He won a higher percent of both the popular and electoral vote than Bush did the time he claimed it gave him political capital and he was going to spend it.
I don't know why people think I am so unusually angry. T6 is the one whose writing gives the impression he is foaming at the mouth.
I'm actually quite satisfied today. I spent the morning helping distribute food to the poor in the cold, but I drove home in a paid for car, to a paid for home, with a pantry stocked to the ceiling with food and supplies, and my bills are paid, and my holiday shopping is done. It fills me with both glee and thankfulness to know my husband's union job paid for all this and labor hating a$$hats couldn't keep us from having this just compensation for his labor. The icing on the cake, there's still a DEMOCRAT in the White House. There wasn't enough voter suppression or computer manipulation to stop it.

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 19, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.

Judge just ordered the parties back to mediation.

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inquire says... November 19, 2012 at 2:58 p.m.

According to Bloomburg Business Week, the main reason for the failure of Hostess is that they were too shortsighted to have any innovative changes to their product line to meet today's better educated and more health conscious consumer. They just kept selling the same old unhealthy crap, and today's consumer wasn't buying. Heck, my mother didn't even buy Hostess back in the fifties and sixties. She served dessert and snacks, but they were homemade, out of pure whole foods, with no chemicals or engineered fats that are worse than butter.

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Packman says... November 19, 2012 at 4:36 p.m.

Hey Harley - When it comes to the private sector and capitalism, libs are all blinded by jealously. Blinded to the point of ignorance, sad to say. I couldn't care less what someone else makes in the private sector. You work hard, make good decisions, assume risk and reap the benefits when they come your way. Or you can choose to work for those who assume risk, work hard, and make good decisions in life. People like inquire don't hate you or me, they hate the choices they made in life but cannot bring themselves to admit the truth. There is no other explanation for the kind of envy liberals espouse about wages earned by others. Bless their hearts.

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inquire says... November 19, 2012 at 5:08 p.m.

Packman, you are so full of it. You just don't get it. We are proud to be working people, home based people. Our home and marriage are the most important things in our life. We have not built our lives on having more money and things than everybody else, and screwing people all along the way to get them. You don't understand that we never wanted it all, just a fair amount and the ability to live in modest comfort.
You are an incredibly ignorant snob. You criticize the welfare crowd, and then you are just as insulting to working people. Your kind aren't worth what a good moral working man scrapes off his shoes.

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cliffcarson says... November 19, 2012 at 5:25 p.m.

Packman

Go ahead and buy the acreage an don't give any employee a bonus. That would be out of your character. I will continue to give to charities even though I don't have the money to buy 30 acres for a duck do-in.

Well I actually do have the money but I wouldn't brag about being a ....what is it you are, and what kind of business are you in?

I wouldn't work for you and I feel for the poor soul who does. They must really need the money. Maybe you can run them off - cut their pay.

Be sure and make it to church this Sunday - walk out if the Preacher starts a sermon on the Good Samaritan.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 19, 2012 at 6:27 p.m.

I think there is plenty of blame to go around in this debacle, both mgmt and union. Not going to get into the charity discussion, but I would like to give less and be more comfortable but that is not the right thing to do.

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RBBrittain says... November 19, 2012 at 8:32 p.m.

@LevitiCuss: Your version of history sounds more like something from Faux Noise. Neither Toyota nor Nissan was founded by the Japanese government; though the government did nationalize much of Japanese industry during WWII, both were founded before the war. (Nissan was part of a "zaibatsu", or large pre-WWII Japanese industrial group; Toyota started as a family-owned maker of looms, or cloth-making machines.)

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Packman says... November 19, 2012 at 9:04 p.m.

Hey inquire - "You are an incredibly ignorant snob." Just the kind of vitriol I expected from someone consumed with envy. If I earned the money fair and square how does the way I spend it affect your life? And has the thought ever pierced your pea brain that the money I might use to play and buy toys was earned not by the physical or mental efforts of others but via a wise investment portfolio? Gawd, you make this soooo easy.

Hey CliffCarson - I'll consider your advice. As to my business, I'm the CEO of an LLC with several different business ventures under its umbrella. The ventures include property management (commercial, residential, rentals, and buy/sell), retail operations, and a fast-food franchise. As to people working for me, I filled a management job three weeks back choosing from over 150 applicants. Yet, I promoted from within. I have employees who've worked 10 - 15 years with the company. They know a good thing when they see it. Last year, my charitable contributions topped $15,000 not counting in-kind (one of my business ventures allows me to donate lots of food and foodstuffs the value of which doubles cash contibutions). If you do more than that I applaud you. That 30 acres just keeps looking better and better.

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BarichMilhusseinObamaNixonPOTUS says... November 19, 2012 at 9:08 p.m.

Be careful RB; you should not attack your fellow leftists. However I'm sure Gen. Cusster actually thought he could pass off a big fat lie and no one would figure it out. It's funny to watch someone complain about Fox News while lying like he did. Cusster-WHAT books are you reading; Big Fat Liar?

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inquire says... November 19, 2012 at 10:23 p.m.

I'm just about through dealing with you Packman. You disgust me. You and your little friends, too. The point is not what you spend on yourself. The point is have you treated your employees fairly and well first, then played with what was left over? Or have you paid low wages, provided no insurance or pension, or maybe kept everyone's hours short enough to weasel out of providing insurance? Do you provide a 401k match? Life insurance? Do you make a group disability insurance plan available? Or do you pay low wages, with no benefits, and expect that they will somehow pay for these things at individual rates on low wages?
If you want to know what a good employer is, read up on the owner of Costco and his philosophy. If they would put a store in my area, I'd drop my Sam's membership and go to Costco in a heartbeat.
The amount an employer gives to charity is not any indicator of what kind of employer they are. Walmart gives a lot to charity, but the reason they can spare so much is because they stiff their employes on wages and benefits to the point that many are eligible for public assistance. In other words, the taxpayers carry part of what should be Walmart's overhead. They brag that many of their employees are insured by a spouse's plan, so other more responsible employers are also picking up part of Walmart's overhead.
I have made you so angry because you aren't used to being challenged by anyone. You aren't used to being made to hear things from the employees point of view. They are probably afraid of you with no one to represent them.

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cliffcarson says... November 19, 2012 at 10:51 p.m.

Packman wants to brag about how good he is then speaks his BS and shows what a creep he is. I agree with you Inquire, I think its time to cut the big boy out of the conversation. From now on, I will ignore it.

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inquire says... November 19, 2012 at 10:54 p.m.

Agreed. :)

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harley1305121514 says... November 19, 2012 at 11:37 p.m.

Packman....Inquire and cliffcarson don't care for your entrepreneurial spirit and success in business...especially that Duck business! You obviously hire a lot of workers and that means you provide jobs to people with various skill levels at various pay levels. Fast food workers are usually thought to be in or about minimum wage which is a set amount and with some of your other businesses you probably pay, at minimum, a wage that is based on the employee's abilities. As a business owner, you DON'T OWE any employee a bonus just because it is the end of the year! A bonus is only due a worker IF he/she has done their job above and beyond the duties explained at hiring.
If buying the land can strengthen your Duck business and make you more money, then you buy it and take the risks. If the risk doesn't pay off as you hope, then you take the hit in your pocket book! Your workers don't take the risk and don't lose their money if things don't go as planned. Without you and your "greedy" risks, your employees are looking for work instead of getting a pay check!
How can these nuts not see how business works? With Inquire I think she knows she is not happy and feels that posting that she is happy will someday make it true. cliffcarson....?????

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inquire says... November 20, 2012 at 12:52 a.m.

Harley, you're full of it, just like all your little friends. Being willing to speak out is not a sign of unhappiness. Have you ever heard me claim the frothing ranting of T6 or yourself, or anyone else is because you're unhappy? The correct answer is no. When a person speaks out, the knee jerk response of offended small minds is some variation of "jealous," "envy", "hater", or "unhappy". Anyone who has spoken out about a wrong or been an activist in any cause has seen this reaction. I've seen and heard it all before.

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T6 says... November 20, 2012 at 8:46 a.m.

Inquire... Funny..... you say I rant while ranting! Hypocrite MUCH? YOUR problem as with most Progressives YOU don't have the ability to be objective!

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Packman says... November 20, 2012 at 11:30 a.m.

Hey inquire and CliffCarson - As typical libs, I'm not surprised you tuck your tails and run when challenged or called out on your dysfunctional logic. No, I NEVER do anything for my employees. I've never paid them an honest day's pay for an honest day's work; I've never loaned an employee money to buy a car at 0 interest; I've never provided them Thanksgiving dinners; I've never given them Christmas bonuses; I've never bailed any of them out of jail, ever; I've never loaned them money (that was never re-paid and I would do it again in a heartbeat to get a woman away from an abusive relationship) for a divorce attorney; I've never sponsored their kids' youth league teams; I've never helped them acquire affordable health insurance; I've never loaned them money as down payment on their first home; I've never sit all night in the ER with a single mom praying her child will be OK (and she was, thank God). You're right, I've never done ANYTHING for my employees. FYI - I'm pretty typical of small business owners and their intimate relationship with employees. As a lover of Big Union, the personal side of management is something you will NEVER understand.

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harley1305121514 says... November 20, 2012 at 12:34 p.m.

Well said Packman and T6! inquire, what even makes you think you know anything about small business or big corporations? You haven't mentioned anything about having started a small business yourself. Your husband hasn't either, I assume. Neither of you have held an officer position in a big corporation that placed you responsible for 200-400 employees managed by a GM, Div. Mgr, Reg. Mgr, and a branch mgr. all of whom you had to hand pick to operate individual branches and see that a strong profit was made so as to keep hundreds of employees taking home paychecks that provide for their families and not to mention handling benefit packages that a large number of employees abuse.
When you, inquire or cliffcarson, "have been there and done that" then I for one will stop saying "ya'll don't know _ _it" about what you are posting!!!

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Jjackk says... November 20, 2012 at 12:55 p.m.

Sure looks to me like whether or not you are some big important CEO or some little important CEO you just can't run a bakery without having 1/5 of your employees in a union. Your CEOs can come and go and get 30% raises but if you if 1/5 of your workers won't work the whole company comes crashing down. Now if that really is the case like you "experts" say. Then who really is more important here? They just can't run their company without those overpaid bakers? Guess your heroes just aren't quite as important to the company as you gullible worshipers believe.

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inquire says... November 20, 2012 at 3:39 p.m.

jjack, you're even closer to right than you knew. The only time my husband was ever on strike, it only lasted a week. Management, with the help of about a half dozen scabs (out of 1800 hourly workers) tried to prove they could keep the plant going. In a week, they only built a dozen air conditioners (and who knows if they were built right?), then a foreman proved how much he knew about running a forklift by dropping all the units on the way to the loading dock. They were badly damaged and went to scrap. A most unprofitable week with the "experts" in charge. Hysterical. The "important" people couldn't get one damn unit built and loaded in a week. They settled the strike pretty damn quick.

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HotSpringsLawyer says... November 20, 2012 at 5:16 p.m.

I hope all the management supporters realize that they are supporting intentional violation and breach of legal contracts by the employer, which is what rejection of CBAs in bankruptcy is.

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DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... November 20, 2012 at 6:56 p.m.

Another union bits the dust.

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NoCrossNoCrown says... November 21, 2012 at 8:58 p.m.

If big business had been FAIR to it's workers from the beginning.....
There NEVER would have been a NEED for unions in the first place....
GREED has consumed many of the once honorable business people and now they blame every issue that comes up on the workers. Hostess is a prime example!! Back their mismanagement up with a 24 hour liefest on right wing noise channel and more and more right-to-work-for-less states and you have a recession waiting to happen......
What ever happen to smart business people like Henry Ford, who understood that if he paid his workers a good wage, that he not only made his community grow, but made his employees also his customers which grew his business making him more money.......
WHEN DOES THE GREED END....?????

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Oldearkie says... November 22, 2012 at 6:41 p.m.

Now, when Hostess reopens, maybe we can get the banana filling back in the twinkies. It sure seems that both the union and management are poor shots: they have both shot themselves in both feet each. How about a twinkie flavored taco? I quit eating twinkies years ago but I am willing to begin again when the quality comes back, hecho in Mexico or not.

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lazybar says... November 24, 2012 at 9:04 a.m.

ncnc,you call it greed but tell me how often you see a person or group of people invest thier money to build a business to not make a profit?how many people have changed companies to do the same job for more money?by your statement thats greed and we all are greedy.the differance is people like packman work for it and people like inquire expect others to work for it.

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inquire says... November 24, 2012 at 10:24 a.m.

Lazybar, you are so full of it. I come from a long line of working people who have never been on welfare or food stamps. My past employers would give you an ear full if you spewed your comments about me to them. My husband was a good employee for forty six years until he became too ill. Your lies and aspersions may comfort you, but they are false and evil. These evil lies about the common people are one of the many reasons your party got whipped.

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lazybar says... November 24, 2012 at 10:56 a.m.

inquire you hate everyone one that works for a living and hate even more those that have had success.and i don`t belong to a party but if i did it would sure would be one that hated share the wealth liberals.so no you didn`t whip my party.

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inquire says... November 24, 2012 at 1:16 p.m.

Are you unable to read, Lazybar? How many times do I have to explain the long line of working people we came from, and how long we have worked? The references we have! Stop spewing your filthy lies! What part of never been on welfare do you not understand? Stop spewing filthy lies just to hear your head rattle.
Some of my older relatives helped create some of Northwest Arkansas' iconic institutions. Democrats all. I have donated many hours of free labor to community causes, and still do. Not only do I come from people who WORK, but from people who work for the community.
You brand of hateful lying is exactly like the kind that helped get Republicans whipped. The people saw through it and shunned it.

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lazybar says... November 24, 2012 at 1:55 p.m.

inquire my greatgrandfather was one of the southern gentlemen you hate.my greatgrandmother never ate a meal with him because women were not worthy enough to eat at the same time men did.he hated blacks as much as you hate capitalism.with only a second grade education he died leaving thousands of acres and tens of thousands of dollars to his kids.the funny thing about him is that he was a true yellowdog democrat that even had a framed usa today with jimmy carter on the front page mounted proudly on his wall.you brag about your older family being democrates but it was democrates that didn`t want to end slavery.just because i hate liberals does not make me a republican
so what your family might have done something worthwhile,all i have seen you do is get on here and post against anyone that has had success,praise obozo for wanting to take from the rich and give to the poor,and giving you obamacare.
news flash!!!again your not getting any money from the rich,if you take it one way they will keep it another.obamacare is going to hurt medicare more than it helps,my wife is a rn and my inlaws are doctors,go to your healthcare provider and ask them thier thoughts on obamacare.last but not least when a union forces a business to pay employees $18 to $20 plus benefits for a $8 to $10 job the business will fail and after drawing unemployment for 14weeks it turns into welfare.

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inquire says... November 24, 2012 at 5:47 p.m.

Funny, Lazybar, most southern gentlemen valued education for their own families, just not for blacks.
You are beneath explaining anything to. What would it take to get it through your head that we have WORKED? We come from families who have ALWAYS WORKED. We are not lazy takers, you think headed stubborn man.
I have never said I hate capitalism. I hate the ABUSES and EXCESSES of capitalism. It is not perfect. Neither is socialism. Both have good and bad, take the best of each and you have something good. That is what FDR did. It takes a dose of socialism to protect the common man from the excesses of capitalism.
I don't know why I bother to talk to you at all. You comprehend nothing. But for the last time, we WORKED. If you can't comprehend anything else, try to get that.

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Jjackk says... November 24, 2012 at 5:51 p.m.

And that situation is how Republicans have stayed around for 150 years. The feud between northern and southern Democrats is still alive and well. It is what gave us Obama. Clinton was all but the nominee when Kennedy picked Obama to run and stop Hilary. He also abandoned Carter during his administration. Not to mention the Kennedys and every southern Democrat.

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inquire says... November 24, 2012 at 9:18 p.m.

Jjack, there is definitely a different philosophy between the northeastern traditional elite, and the remnants of the southern planter elite. The former believed in a more communitarian society, noblesse oblige, etc. The latter cling to the pre 1960's attitude of those at the top clinging to all power and privilege and trying to keep the "lower" classes down, and these people have thoroughly infiltrated the Republican party.

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