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Twinkies Union Issues Ultimatum: We Get Our Jobs Back Or The Company Gets It Again
Following a brief infomercial for Gordian Group's apparent skills in bringing dough-makers and yeast-cooking perfection to the table - arguing that they are here to preserve jobs (for skilled workers who have been apparently working for below-market wages) - and maximizing value for the Bakery Union; Peter Kaufman stops the pretense of helping and goes straight for the threat. "We are here to work with credible bidders to get started right away with a great work-force; on the other hand, if bidders don't want to work with us (and re-hire Hostess employees), the union will ask the AFL-CIO to put any Hostess product on its 'boycott product' list." But "we're here to help," he reminds the somewhat stunned CNBC anchor. It seems beggars are once again choosers... as the entitled roll on.
Of course, far be it from us to point out the incredible irony that it was the labor union's unwillingness to negotiate that forced the company to run out of cash; and now that same union, that effectively blew up their employer, demands to have jobs restored as if nothing happened, and likely with the same (apparently higher comp) demands entitlements as before.
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That's an effect from years of bullshit.. I say ditch management, open the books and give workers inventive to run things better.. then if the asshole you describe still acts that way, the other workers will bust his ass for it
right now you just have hate on all sides so you get what you saw
Okay, for every negative story you have, I have 10x that for the good unions did.
... still waiting for the first one chief
Every union story i know involves someone refusing to do honest days work. And then union saying you cant do anything about it its not fair.
Fk the unions
Unions = poison.
Hello, Chairman Mao is calling. he wants to give you a job.
Once the new company starts production, using non-union employees who will get a competitive wage, the Twinkie Unions will fade away into a distant memory. The interesting part will be how long the AFL-CIO truckers continue their own boycott. The bakers union essentially cost all the other Hostess unions their jobs. If the AFL-CIO turns down hauling Twinkies, how many of those union workers won't get hired or will lose their jobs?
Between jackasses like this union guy and the jackasses in Hostess' management, that company didn't stand a chance.
Who's the bigger JackAss? The execs who made the bad decisions or the workers who got stuck with the blame when the execs left with a wad of cash courtesy of the workers pensions?
Workers are not stuck. They are not entitled to their jobs. They can quit any day if they dont like it. Its not slavery.
You dont like the company you work for? Walk away. Fk the unions all they do will be bully you to install their own pecking order driven by greed and corruption
I'd tell the union members to take those Twinkies and shove 'em up their asses.
Let them eat Twinkies, bitches.
Yeah, don't let those workers earn a living wage. We can't have the slaves leaving the plantation.
</sarcasm off>
You dont like your wage? Quit. Fk you. Noone owes you dick. If there are 5 guys who would do that job for half of what you expect - fk you, get extinct or get educated. Your choice.
Yeah, don't give the workers anything or they'll be asking for more. Screw 'em, let them work 80 hours without bathroom breaks. Forget it, send the jobs overseas to the hungry poor slubs. Screw Americans!. Hell, the chinese have it right. Slave labor is good. Give all the perks to the execs who bakerupted the company.
</sarcasm off>
Is your choice for the future of business that "plantation mentality" thinking? In that case pack your bags and go back to the past. About 100 years ago should make you feel right at home.
Well as i said before if thats how you feel north korea should be your haven. You and krugman can hold hands and move there. Coz you know, its all about workers there.
My choice is this: business wants to attract top talent - business pays. Business doesnt care - they set a salary and whoever wants to work for that may or may not come. Its not up to you to decide how much i should be getting paid or how much i should work for.
Thats the mental disease of you progressives.. You think that tinkering in other peoples business for common gooD is your god given right. Fuck you. Keep your dirty hands out of my wallet and out of my paycheck. Its between me and my boss and you can go blow me if you dont like it. Just watch how well argentina and venezueala are doing.
Dude, what you describe is N Korea thinking, not mine. I'm for America, not the turning of it into N Korea like you seem to wish for. Russia and China have places for you too that will feel very comfortable to you.
America was built on socialist values and admiration for an urban worker. Put down the crack pipe.
The point of this discussion is simple: you think workers are "owed a fair share". I dont think that anyone owes workers anything and i think that a "fair share" is a bs concept.
I said only that workers are due a fair playing field. You think the workers should be ripped off and thank the corrupt execs for it.
What does a fair playing field mean?? Sorry i honestly dont get it. Is it a quantifiable concept? Like X percent of revenues should be shared with workers?
My problem with vague ideas like that is that what you consider a fair playing field and what someone else does is v different.
Perhaps you could explain what is a free market without using vague terms? Frankly, I don't think it is possible since there is no such thing as an absolutely free market and no businessman would ever want such a thing since the business world is absolutely dependent on rules to operate. Then if there is rules then why should there be some rules and not others. There is no way out of it -- eventually you have to start arguing about what is fair in terms of rules and therefore have to deal with seemingly vague concepts no matter what kind of system of economics your advocating for.
If there is a system where business owners find a way to pay workers subsistence wages that would not permit those workers to save enough to start their own business then surely that would not be fair. Additionally, through lobbying and other forms of crony capitalism big business has manipulated the rules in their favor and against the small start-up -- that's not fair either.
Finally an American who stands up to corporate power without being a coward.
Hey! Those union bakers are out to get their hands on the dough!
Nope the execs had the dough, not the bakers...that's why it went bakerupt.
Bullshit. Bakers union decided they wont take pay cut so that all other company employees ended up on the street. Thats called bullying.
Nope. The execs ran the company poorly and then thumbed down the workers for giving up more money while they still took grand bonuses. If that's union bullying, then that's called clueless.
You dont like your boss then dont be a pussy and quit. Dont just sit there with your donut and a can of budweiser and whine. Dont wait for a some union gangbangers to come over and break windows. Walk the fuck away. Its a free country isnt it?
Noone owes you a "fair living". You dont like it? Fk you i will find someone who does.
By your logic, the execs of the company should be able to do a crappy job, make someone else pay for their mistakes and if the workers cannot find a better job they should just be screwed and be happy with that. No one is saying they owe anything to the workers but a fair deal, not the one side gets all crap you're spouting.
My logic is simple - execs do not report to the workers or unions unless unions own a % of the company. If they dont they have no fking say, sorry thats how it works. Shareholders should be busy punishing stupid corrupt managers.
What the fuck is a fair deal? There is no such thing. An owner/manager owes an employee one more paycheck. And thats fucking that. Noone owes you a fair deal. Fair deal?? Seriously? Does that include pension, healthcare and salary raises? How about a big screen tv? An SUV? Your fair deal is why companies are running from US. Your fair deal is why detroit is a fucking ghetto worse then kabul.
Okay, now I know you are teasing me. The unions turned Detroit into the slum it is!? Wow, you had me going.
Watch a few documentaries as to who did what and come back here with an INFORMED opinion. I can't help you otherwise. The brainwashing is just too deep.
Sorry i forgot it was the evil corporations. Riiiight.
You still havent responded to my simple question tho. You are a worker. You think your boss is incompetent.. Why not quit?
Also pls tell me what is a fair deal that you keep mentioning?
I answered you in many posts here. Refresh your page.
Still looking for a single answer.
Waiting for quantifiable fair deal and level playing field concepts.
Pls enlighten me.
That's what I would say if I never developed cognitive skills. Maybe we'll start you out with "Dick and Jane" books first.
Don't feed the troll, Pixel. He's not worth your time...he doesn't get it.
Thanks for contributing.
He's well spirited in debating. I'll give him that.
People do a good job when their morale (self confidence) is high. Being handed money after one exerts themselves is a reward, however, when you know that you are being compensated a fraction of what you should be, the result is that you back off where it will not be noticed. Theft takes place. Cheating at every chance. Word of mouth spreads that the employer making a fortune (a killing) off the sweat of workers and it hurts business (except when the corp is able to wipe out the competion through unfair competition).
I haven't seen one man on the stage who is in the forb's top income brakcet is is worthy of that income. I don't see pushing numbers around and choosing which company will do well and which will not worthy of making a man richer than stink. I don't see where the sacrifice has been made to justify this kind of income.
If you think its easy go and do it.
Tbh i am quite certain its more about luck then ability ifor most of the forbes list types. But hey. You dont begrudge lottery winners do you?
I also agree with what you are saying re wages and motivation. Although thats todays america for you - envy ahead of effort, jealousy ahead of skill. Thank you unions for that one.
Wow, a union guy must have bullied you as a child. That chip on your should about unions is making you walk funny.
You just can't stand to see a union stand up for themself when they get bullied. Learn to stand up for yourself and level the playing field.
Level playing field? What is that? What is your moral claim on the assets of a business owner? U just dont get it - you are free to quit. Instead you choose to whinge and intimidate others. Unions make pond scum look good.
"What is your moral claim on the assets of a business owner?" For workers it is their labor they put into the products and services the profits from which the business owner, just because he has his name on some document, sits back and collects. The business owner should feel grateful he gets to keep any of the profits if he didn't put any labor into creating those profits.
$40/hr. to bake stuff? My wife does it for free!!!
nah, you're payin' for it, someway, dude. all of us are who are attracted to bush.
Bush? No, I've suffered that family enough. Landing strip is better.
Talk about a guy holding a 2 of clubs and a 5 of hearts.
I first saw this with the ATC Union bust in 1981. These workers are physiologically incapable of accepting their jobs are gone. It's what an entitlement menality does. the whole thought process stops at "But they HAVE TO"...and gets stuck in a loop.
Just say no to junk food, it rots your brain. You are what you eat, and this Kaufman union rep is a big twinkie past its expiration date. He ate the goose and is mad there are no more golden eggs.... with a straight face. Politicians, unions, lobbiests, entitelment welfare culture, IRS, corporate accounting fraud, are collectively a parasite swarm feeding off of the life of others.
So, lemme guess ... the PE company did not overpay for the company with the assumption THEY could bust the union and make up for the fact that they overpayed for the company.
The PE company could just scale the company to the point to where it makes money... HOWEVER if they bid up the price to ridiculous levels then maybe they are trapped. Good. Best to go bankrupt and let somone pick up the assets in bankruptcy at a price that works. Isn't that how a free moarket works?
The only leverage the baker's union really has left is if they threaten to reveal what Twinkies are actually made of...
"...the union will ask the AFL-CIO to put any Hostess product on its 'boycott product' list...."
Ah yes. The much-feared AFL-CIO boycott list.
For the 2% of America that follows the orders of their union-thug overlords, no doubt this matters. For another 30% of America, the AFL boycott list equals our preferred vendor list. The rest don't care.
What the Union guy has not figured out is that the PE firm that bought the assets had done its research. The customer demographic for the Twinkies product does not include a lot of Union workers. A boycott won't hurt them.
I'm not getting this. All labor has to do is have the salesman-in-chief threaten an executive order that background checks will be required before any furture Twinkies purchases, , have twinkie-free zones in universities, and not more than 6 of those sugar bombs to a box so, you know, noone will get hurt.
It would make Hostess the next Apple, I swear.
Unions are so 20th century. Democrats won't need them for votes anymore soon once they have enough of the population signed up on ebt cards. The unions are going to get thrown under the bus real soon since they are no longer cost effective for each vote they bring in.
"I'm in for life, now, AFL-CIO. Thanks, and go away. Here's and EBT application, suckers."
---Bath house Barry
Right, since in the new 21st century pinata economy you gotta smash and grab all you can get fast
Let me understand this....
1) You have the right to negotiate your wages and benefits in Amerika ...correct?
2) If the collective Stupidity is to collectively bargain yourselves out of work because you're not "competative" ... you're out of work...go home.
What's so bad about unions again? Sounds like a stupidity problem not a union problem to me.
While businesses (banks) are getting government handouts I don't have a problem with unions. Hypocrites on both sides can go fuck themselves.
I will point out though that unions are really only needed where management are incompetent, and you do not want to be invested in companies or even countries where they can hand in hand lay waste to everything they can see. (See the UK circa 1975)
Next, America.
*nomnomnomnom*!!!!
"and the rest of burger's meat looks like contamination"
http://goo.gl/WX6Jj
will we be shocked when it is 80% serf meat?
It has a higher % of meat in it than taco bell meat.
After 58 years Mic Ds is just about to hit 1 billion pounds of meat.
This is hilarious. My favorite part is that the union members were working at "below market wages". That's quite wonderful, now they are back in the market and earning market wages.
The phrase "You'll get nothing and like it" seems fitting here.
With the governments war on fat I'm surprised they are even allowing Twinkies etc...back on the market.
Seems like the bloated fat filled cream puffs were the twinkies running the company, not the workers.
Maybe they were i dont disagree. But thats mot the point now is it? Threats like the one in this clip tells you very clearly who has the sense of undeserved entitlement. Its the union dirt bags.
Fk the unions
Unions = poison
Corporate dirtbags killed Hostess well before this guy had a beef with them.
Let me warm up the pot that the corporations are using to boil your bootlicking carcass. You clearly think there shouldn't be a fair playing field. Give all the power to one side. You should already be happy, as you can see you're already getting your way. The unions have very little power anymore. Cheer your butt being loaded into that big black kettle you'll call home as you economically boil to death.
Yes probably. I think you may very well be right. But thats not my point. My point is he has no legal or moral right to judge corp execs and neither do you unless you owe shares in that company.
If you dont like your boss - walk away. Or try to show the shareholders that he is an idiot. But this left wing bullshit is just that. Bosses no matter how incompetent they are owe you nothing. It was your choice to go work there. You werent bought at a slave market.
This dude doesnt get it. And he is trying to control workers through intimidation which is what unions do.
Dude, you don't get it. They want you to think it's right against left. Libtards against Repubnuts. If they keep you busy fighting amonst yourselves, they can walk out the back door with the money. Sadly, this thread shows how easily distracted most people are and how they can be made to hate standing up for themselves.
Right ok, coz your fav unions are so even with political contributions. I hate both parties equally. But unions is a whole new level of poison.
What you dont get is that i dont owe you anything. Neither does the employer that hired you. You have no legal or moral claim on someone elses assets. If they choose to share profits with you - great - its their prerogative. Unions can only lie and intimidate. They hurt workers who want to work and not mooch more then they help.
Its not about politics.
You've developed Stockholms Syndrome with your abusers. Please check yourself in to the Hospital for a spinal transplant.
Wow you are yet to respond to a single argument i have made.
1. Why not walk away? 2. Why do you think someone owes you something? 3. Why does a company need to employ someone for 30$/hr if 5 ppl will do the job for half that.
All you do is mention pointless concepts like fair share. Pls tell me what is a fair share?
No, you have yet to understand what I said. Quit trying to dodge the facts.
Here's a hint, refresh your browser and read what I wrote.
It is incredibly unfortunate that what started out as a great idea (unions to help advocate for and protect workers) has turned into what most of them are today.
The thing that killed Hostess was that they were saddled with pension obligations that they couldn't pay. Yes, the previous management is to blame for the failure. They should not have agreed to such large pensions.
The funny thing is that by threatening to boycott Twinkies the union reps are reducing the price that those brands will sell for. And so there will be less money to pay pension benefits to retired Hostess employees.
Right, because whenever a union is involved, they're automatically the evil one: http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/twinkie-c...
</sarcasm off>
I will NEVER, EVER, buy the brand again.
You assholes can have fun getting your hands dirty growing and making your own consumables when you get, SO FUCKING GREEDY, you will destroy the value of a 100 year old brand because you can.
I say burn Manhattan, Jamie Dimon, LLoyd (and his beard).
We (the ones that pay taxes to support your criminality) say "keep it up". Maybe we will see you in Davos next year you traitors?
</sarcasm on....off.....on??????>
So tired of all your magic tricks ruining billions of, otherwise, productive lives.
My skull is burning, figuratively, but if you greedy douche bags keep it up it might be your skulls burning in the necklace, literally!
Is it really worth it? The world is really small. It seems that , as you can find us, we can find you and treat you equally in kind.
Or unkind if you be chouse.
GOD BLESS AMERIKA
LAND OF THE FREE
MADE IN AMERIKA
LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL
WE PUT THE "F U" IN DISFUNCTIONAL
Let me paraphrase: The Gordian Group isn't trying to scare off bidders who are willing to work with GG & the baker's union, and rehire all the union workers who originally bankrupted Hostess. However they will declare war on and otherwise do whatever is necessary to scare off any serious bidder who attmpts to bring Twinkies back in a non-union shop. They're here to help... the union.
Is that about right?
Kaufman, I hope your competitors have archived this interview so NO ONE EVER FUCKING HIRES YOU AGAIN!!!!
Wall Street has a Union run by Washington, or is it the other way around?
i'm confused, are the twinkie futures undervalued
or overvalued? i don't know how to bid on this.
Hostess Twinkie Coffin, a great gift for a mourning Twinkie lover!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hostess-Twinkie-Coffin-a-great-gift-for-a-mourni...
Is this thread gonna take the lead for the 2013 post with the most "replies?"
i hope so
Probably. I got sucked in and contributed way more than my fair share.
Hostess Products weren't boycotted already? That's news here!
Seems like the company went out of business because its products are nothing more than sugar-flavored filth.
@.." its products are nothing more than sugar-flavored filth."
but you missed the key word as in " .. its products are nothing
more than "addictive" sugar-flavored filth." and they shut the kids
up for a minute or two ! if you use them like treats they can
be used as a training aide. no?
Back in the mid-90's, I lived in a run down trailer park near the edge of town. (Thank God, no more - until the bank$ters put all of us back in them!) My neighbors trained their half-wild dog not with Twinkies, but simple Tootsie Rolls. He would hump a fire hydrant for one if he had to get that choco-sugar fix.
....its products are nothing more than sugar-flavored filth.
Hey, you don't see me going after YOU'RE filthy habits...
Can any one of you tell me honestly that that union is more "entitled" than the Romney family?
Or why I shouldn't root for anyone who will kick the vultures in the teeth?
AFL-CIO membership was 16 million in 1955 and down to 8.5 million in 2011. In 56 years, they destroyed 7.5 million jobs.
Rah! Rah! AFL-CIO. Go, AFL-CIO, go!
Yes, if you cheer hard enough for the demise of unions we might just get back to 80 hour work weeks with no benefits or days off like the slaves that serve the big corporations in overseas jobs.
Rah! Rah! Go Slave labor for USA workers, go!
</sarcasm off>
the race to the bottom of fiat hell, at interest, to
a global cartel of criminal money changers has it's
price or cost. who knows who will ultimately pay for
the wages of that sin? time will tell in good time.
Thank Jackson Lewis, The Burke Group, Strom Engineering, and the other various unionbusting agencies that allow companies to negotiate in bad faith, much less without any public record.
That and it doesn't help that Right to Work is one-sided in that it doesn't count temporary employees as unions (so as to give them the freedom from employers requiring them to work as temps as a condition of work).
This would be freakin funny, if it wasn't true. Unions, you're EFF'D. No Bones about it. LCD (lowest common denominator) just doesn't give a shit a'bout unions, and the oblaminator just doesn't need you suckers any more .... you voted him in, and now you're gett'in yours.
By the way, they could hire teenagers (that would work) and get the task done in quick fashion ala U.P.S.
Sounds like hooliganism and extortion to me!
Get your hearing checked. The workers didn't own, make company decisions, or get fabulous bonuses while the company tanked. If you think those workers tanked the company, you really should also get your sight checked too.
Anti US worker propaganda abounds on the internet these days. In fact, American working class are being painted as useless pieces of shit who do not deserve to breathe the air.
Cronyism and nepotism is by far more of an issue in light of the backdrop in the USA. The boast one gets from being on the inside was remarked upon by GW Bush. The connections one has available to them in the upper echelon of this society open doors to people who would have have them open otherwise. George Bush is just one example of a substandard performing executive who milked his way to the top because family wealth and the road paved in gold left wide open to them, regardless of their skills.
almost English, comrade
Agreed. Stand up for yourself as a worker and the well greased media and braindead sheeple brand you a communist. These workers didn't walk away with millions. The Vulture Funds and Hostess Management did. Follow the money. Poor Hostess workers got nothing except pay cut after pay cut...and the blame. Sheesh, they didn't own the company and make the decisions, yet they get all the blame. That's a WTF moment.
Nice..."hey you know the bullshit routine" wink at 1:17..sayin
Of course, far be it from us to point out the incredible irony that it was the company's unwillingness to negotiate that forced the company to run out of cash;
Not sure that the company was willing to negotiate in good faith when sabotage was a better proposition.
I'm pretty sure a lot of sugar-head adults and about a bazaillion school-aged kids can keep 'em in biz despite any boycott. I have 4 who are going thru withdrawal on Hostess. Bring it!! We'll out-snack those fat union bastard slugs anyday (and not die of a heart attack).
These people are fucking idiots that deserve to lose everything. Greedy assholes.
Yeah, those rich execs who trashed the company and ran away with millions. They deserve to lose everything. Greedy assholes.
Just reading this story gives me severe intestinal gas. (Carly Simon's Anticipation in the background)
"jews" (peter kaufman....what a suprise)are plagues who ALWAYS "lead" from behind.
burn their fucking neighborhoods down.
kill their kids
Dude. Seek therapy immediately.
Seems to me those union humps will have to boycott Hostess anyway when their unemployment runs out and their cash flow vaporizes. Go you dumb union fucks!!!!!!!!!
Where is Homer Simpson when you need him?
LOL even his suit is from the 20s... I wonder if he has a tommy gun? Sorry douche, your overpaid, entitlist slobs can sit this one out. Watch your boycott do *exactly nothing* to sales. Buh bye.