the hostess discusion reminds me of story about a trucking co.

[musclehead]

Arrow trucking out of Tulsa went belly up and the owners were charged with embezlement and other crimes.

a classic tale of Dad dies in a plane crash, son takes over and in the bad economy of 2010 cooked the books and lied to investors to keep the checks coming. I might have cut him some slack but he was busy cutting checks (10,s of thousands of dollars) for him and his mom just a few days before Christmas. then the investors investigated further and pulled the plug.

drivers were stranded all over the country with no pay checks, bad fuel cards and no way to get home. those stuck in terminals could get a $200 check for bus fare to get home, but they'd have to ship their stuff home. it was a mess some drivers sold the load off their truck to get home.

totally mismanaged.

[Jabba]

I don't really see the similarity though...    I guess there is if you buy the evil execs, poor poor union workers viewpoint. 

Me, not so much.  Probably some of both.

Union story, Management story, and the TRUTH.

Jabba

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

At one time Arrow hauled our steel poles to the the yard then we would haul them out to the right-of-way....Wondered why I had'nt seen any Arrow trucks on the road.We haul them all the way now from the many manufacturing companies right to the hole they go in.

[Jabba]

There is a lot of BAD in every group of people.  VRCC excluded of course. 

Power corrupts.  That goes for corporate execs, union bosses, and politicians.

it's 60 degrees here today, and I have NO chance of getting out for a ride. 

Jabba

[old2soon]

According to the article i read the Teamsters had taken a pay cut. Better i guess a slightly smaller check than no check. The Bakers union on the other hand was not the least bit interested in a pay cut. I'm trying to understand BUT lotsa luck shopping out those skills in this economy. And WHEN and IF they do find work-i wonder how much less per hour or less per week they will be happy to take AFTER their unemployment runs out. They had a chance to continue to work-granted for less money BUT they would STILL be working. Nice time of year to be without a job. I guess the sarcasm font be disabled.  RIDE SAFE.

[musclehead]

I don't really see the similarity though...    I guess there is if you buy the evil execs, poor poor union workers viewpoint. 

Me, not so much.  Probably some of both.

Union story, Management story, and the TRUTH.

Jabba

like your implying, somewhere in the middle lies the truth.

[bagelboy]

I had read that they were cut from 45,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars a year. They also received health benefits. Not sticking up for hostess but 700 dollars a week plus health benefits is not bad. I get a feeling in a few months those workers will all regret their decision. Right now, of course, they're all saying they would rather sit home and collect unemploymentl or go find another job. If they are not really skilled, then the only hope they have a finding a job, will probably be for Less pay and perhaps no health benefits. I know I work tons of hours, and always have, and sitting home is never going to be an option! Wait till their cars start to break, or something goes wrong in the house, or perhaps they want just the new television or something. Then they won't have the money to pay for it. I'm a working ton of hours, but at least if I need money for something, I have it! I can t understand how people think today!

[Jeff K]

As I understand...
There were 40 unions involved with Hostess, 39 of them agreed to the contract offered, 1 did not. So they keep spouting this "92% of them voted to strike" Well, that is 92% of the BCT which is around 5,000 of the 18,700 total employees. The Teamsters agreement with the company included a stipulation that they couldn't make any different deals with any of the other unions, if they did they had to pay the Teamsters 25 million. So the company was over a barrel, they couldn't have given the BCT anything at all even if they wanted to, which obviously they didn't want to.
There has been a steady stream of ex Hostess people knocking on our door. Sorry, we haven't had the need to fill a production job since the spring of 2011. Picked up some more business too. Our people are very busy and very happy.
When we first opened this plant the BCT came and tried to get them to go union. The people asked what they were going to get out of it. A raise? They told them that they already made more than the std rate for our area. So the union talk died pretty quick here.

[DIGGER]

I had read that they were cut from 45,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars a year. They also received health benefits. Not sticking up for hostess but 700 dollars a week plus health benefits is not bad. I get a feeling in a few months those workers will all regret their decision. Right now, of course, they're all saying they would rather sit home and collect unemploymentl or go find another job. If they are not really skilled, then the only hope they have a finding a job, will probably be for Less pay and perhaps no health benefits. I know I work tons of hours, and always have, and sitting home is never going to be an option! Wait till their cars start to break, or something goes wrong in the house, or perhaps they want just the new television or something. Then they won't have the money to pay for it. I'm a working ton of hours, but at least if I need money for something, I have it! I can t understand how people think today!

Then next year they management will want $25,000 per yr.....then the next 15,000 per year.....you got to draw the line somewhere.   ......and in the meantime the execs are are boosting their own pay because they are making it look like they are SAVING the company

[fon1961]

A person is always free to look for another job if they think that they are not being treated fairly. Unfortunately there are typically down sides to doing so (e.g. potentially having to move, losing seniority, losing vacation, etc). You've got to look at the big picture and weigh all the facts. I've been through two plant closures. It sucks. I don't want other people making these kinds of decisions for me. If your going to make a change or you have to make a change its always better to look for another job while you still have one. Just my two cents worth.  

[MP]

I had read that they were cut from 45,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars a year. They also received health benefits. Not sticking up for hostess but 700 dollars a week plus health benefits is not bad. I get a feeling in a few months those workers will all regret their decision. Right now, of course, they're all saying they would rather sit home and collect unemploymentl or go find another job. If they are not really skilled, then the only hope they have a finding a job, will probably be for Less pay and perhaps no health benefits. I know I work tons of hours, and always have, and sitting home is never going to be an option! Wait till their cars start to break, or something goes wrong in the house, or perhaps they want just the new television or something. Then they won't have the money to pay for it. I'm a working ton of hours, but at least if I need money for something, I have it! I can t understand how people think today!

Then next year they management will want $25,000 per yr.....then the next 15,000 per year.....you got to draw the line somewhere.   ......and in the meantime the execs are are boosting their own pay because they are making it look like they are SAVING the company

Well then, the union should be happy.  They put the business, and 18,000 employees, out on the street.  Congratulations!

Now, you get to go suck off the gov't, ie, me, and all my fellow taxpayers.  Merry Christmas to all.

MP

[Jeff K]

I had read that they were cut from 45,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars a year. They also received health benefits. Not sticking up for hostess but 700 dollars a week plus health benefits is not bad. I get a feeling in a few months those workers will all regret their decision. Right now, of course, they're all saying they would rather sit home and collect unemploymentl or go find another job. If they are not really skilled, then the only hope they have a finding a job, will probably be for Less pay and perhaps no health benefits. I know I work tons of hours, and always have, and sitting home is never going to be an option! Wait till their cars start to break, or something goes wrong in the house, or perhaps they want just the new television or something. Then they won't have the money to pay for it. I'm a working ton of hours, but at least if I need money for something, I have it! I can t understand how people think today!

Then next year they management will want $25,000 per yr.....then the next 15,000 per year.....you got to draw the line somewhere.   ......and in the meantime the execs are are boosting their own pay because they are making it look like they are SAVING the company

Sorry, I'm never going to understand that logic. If you don't like your job go elsewhere. I am 100% sure that if the Hostess employees had been quitting because they didn't feel like they were being treated well, there would have been plenty of people willing to take their place.
Using your logic you believe it is perfectly acceptable to poison your well and salt your fields to be sure that no one can have what you don't want.

My Son is one of the people that lost their job. He had just taken the job a few months ago. They told him that he was looking at a pay cut coming in the near future when he started. He was OK with that because it was still much better than the job he was leaving. Now he has no job at all.

I'll never understand how employees get to control a company that they have not put a dime into. If they are such great business minds then why aren't they running their own company?

My Brother by Law has a degree in hotel motel management, but he worked in a furniture plant sharpening saw blades. He was so sure that the management didn't know what they were doing he got involved in the union and fought the company hot and heavy. They closed the plant and moved the operation to somewhere that gave them the ability to run their own business. Now he is a Janitor at the local elementary school.
He does regret it now, but it is too late, 18 years down the tubes.

[Skinhead]

Soooo.....  Where is the union going to get the lost dues these unemployed workers would have paid?