Unions kill the twinkie?

[billc]

Hmmm...even in the zombie apocalypse some joy was found in those golden, cream filled cakes by Tallahassee...but no more. The Unions may have killed them as surely as a zombie bite...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/14/Unions-May-Kill-Off-The-Twinkie

Union workers may permanently kill off the iconic Twinkie. Hostess Brands, Inc., the company that makes Twinkies, announced on Wednesday that it will ask a bankruptcy judge to allow it to shut down and sell off its assets as soon as November 20, if union workers do not end their strike by Thursday.


The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, whose members make up nearly a third of the company's workforce, has been on strike at plants across the country protesting "pay cuts that Hostess" won the right to impose in bankruptcy court.
Hostess Chief Executive Gregory Rayburn said the company would have to fire most of its workers on November 20 if union workers do not come back to work by 5 p.m. EST on Thursday and the judge allows the Hostess to liquidate its assets.
"We simply do not have the financial resources to survive an ongoing national strike," Rayburn said.
The strike already forced Hostess to close three of its 36 bakeries earlier this week, which led to the 627 workers being laid off. Hostess did, however, reach an agreement with the Teamsters, which is its largest union.
Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection on January 11, and the company had nearly $860 million in debt at the time.

I know, why doesn't obama nationalize the twinkie?


Oh no, they got San Bernadino too...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/14/How-San-Bernardino-Went-Bankrupt

[h=2]How does a city of 200,000 people go bankrupt? In the case of San Bernardino, CA, the answer is unsustainable pension obligations pushed by union-backed politicians.
[/h] San Bernardino declared bankruptcy in July, citing "an immediate cash flow issue," but the collapse has been a long time coming and was not the result of a single decision or mistake. Elected officials consistently chose to offer public-sector unions overly-generous benefits, both in terms of salaries and pensions, even as the tax base of the city was shrinking.
Between 1997 and 2010, the salary of a city firefighter doubled to just shy of $150,000. Firefighters and police routinely took advantage of rules which allowed them to be paid for a percentage of accrued sick leave and vacation hours:

In 2009, patrol lieutenant Richard Taack retired at the age of 59, after 37 years of service. He took home $389,727 that year, including $194,820 in unused sick time and $33,721 for unused vacation time, according to city payroll records. Shortly after Taack retired - on an annual lifetime pension of $128,000 - he was hired part-time by Penman's city attorney's office, at $32 an hour.
​

Asked about these payouts, the head of San Bernardino's firefighter union told Reuters, "If you call in sick, you're a bad employee. So my guys don't call in sick. Then you get all this time you are owed - and you get vilified."
The unions are taking advantage of the rules, but the rules themselves are voted on by members of the city council. For much of San Bernardino's history, the council has been dominated by union-backed candidates who supported the increased wages and pensions.
In 2007, as the financial downturn was beginning to hit, the city council was set to vote on a generous proposal sought by unions that would allow city workers to retire at age 55 with 2.5% of their final salary for every year worked. At the last moment, the city attorney brought out a special witness:

 

[WC_lun]

Do you even check this stuff for accuracy?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Do you even check this stuff for accuracy?

I believe this is accurate. I saw on the mainstream news the other day.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/twin...trikes-persist/story?id=17725053#.UKUny6qFlZo

It's not that unusual for unionized workers to push employers to the point of bankruptcy. Now we will have to see if the union will back off their demands or if the manufacturer will close.

 

[cdunn]

I believe this is accurate. I saw on the mainstream news the other day.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/twin...trikes-persist/story?id=17725053#.UKUny6qFlZo

It's not that unusual for unionized workers to push employers to the point of bankruptcy. Now we will have to see if the union will back off their demands or if the manufacturer will close.

Well.. I also have to ask what the ownership's role in this is. I note that Hostess is owned by hedge funds; they may be following the Romney anti-business model of purchasing a healthy company with debt, saddling the company with that debt and as many fees as possible, declare bankruptcy so they can run off with the pension fund, and leaving a smoldering mess for the banks to sell off and recoup their loan money from. We only have a small part of the story.

 

[Flying Crane]

Well.. I also have to ask what the ownership's role in this is. I note that Hostess is owned by hedge funds; they may be following the Romney anti-business model of purchasing a healthy company with debt, saddling the company with that debt and as many fees as possible, declare bankruptcy so they can run off with the pension fund, and leaving a smoldering mess for the banks to sell off and recoup their loan money from. We only have a small part of the story.

bingo. there's always two sides to the story. Unions would not be necessary if we could actually trust employers, especially big corporate employers, to treat their employees well, give them good pay and benefits and good working conditions. But alas, history has proven that largely we cannot trust them. So Unions continue to have a role to play.

 

[Flying Crane]

Other than potential jobs lost, the world would be a better place without the Twinkie.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Well.. I also have to ask what the ownership's role in this is. I note that Hostess is owned by hedge funds; they may be following the Romney anti-business model of purchasing a healthy company with debt, saddling the company with that debt and as many fees as possible, declare bankruptcy so they can run off with the pension fund, and leaving a smoldering mess for the banks to sell off and recoup their loan money from. We only have a small part of the story.

I'll go along with that. However, either way, there was truth to the story that Billcihak posted in this case. I happen to agree with him here; but that's my own political leanings showing through. I do not know the truth of the issue; I do know that the story itself is true.

 

[WC_lun]

Unions do sometimes take things to far, being a collection of people. Flying Crane is right though, without them, worker's rights would be non-exsistant and they still have an important role to play in modern American bussiness.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Unions do sometimes take things to far, being a collection of people. Flying Crane is right though, without them, worker's rights would be non-exsistant and they still have an important role to play in modern American bussiness.

Unions were once far more important to workers than they are today, IMHO. I think they are largely irrelevant in these times, and often a serious impediment to a business' ability to compete in world markets; unions depend heavily on protected markets and that's not something I've ever been in favor of. However, they do still play a role, no matter how small. I'll agree with that. The rest we'll have to chalk up to philosophical differences; I personally have no use for 'em.

 

[shesulsa]

No time to investigate right now - but I wonder what the union demands were and if they weren't more affordable than bankruptcy? I guess, if the top VIPs get to keep the pensions for the workers, likely not. Sounds like just what a union is supposed to keep from happening, no? Who administrates the trust for that union, I wonder?

 

[Steve]

I believe this is accurate. I saw on the mainstream news the other day.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/twin...trikes-persist/story?id=17725053#.UKUny6qFlZo

It's not that unusual for unionized workers to push employers to the point of bankruptcy. Now we will have to see if the union will back off their demands or if the manufacturer will close.

This is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. While the company is struggling, can that be attributed to the unions? What I mean is, the company was struggling, they filed for bankruptcy and received authorization from the hearings to cut pay. It's the pay cuts that created the labor crisis, which put them in this situation. So, laying this all at the unions is a bit of a stretch, unless the unions were directly responsible for the financial woes that led Hostess to file for bankruptcy in the first place.

The unfortunate thing here is that the bankruptcy of the company put them in a position where they cut salaries by 8% (or 9%... can't remember from the news article today). If management can't make a compelling case to labor that it's in their best interest to accept the cut and in good faith return to work, the company may very well go under. I don't get the sense that they're bluffing, but if labor believes that to be the case, then this could very well be taken to the tipping point.

 

[Flying Crane]

Unions may be irrelevant in a lot of cases, but the fact that they do continue to exist, I believe, helps hold employers in check. Knowing that their employees could unionize if the become dissatisfied enough, and knowing how that would complicate things for the employers may go a long way to encouraging employers to be as good to employees as possible, without needing to brandish the cattle prod.

 

[shesulsa]

I think what REALLY killed the twinkie is the knowledge that it will not rot for over 10 years....

 

[Flying Crane]

I think what REALLY killed the twinkie is the knowledge that it will not rot for over 10 years....

Twinkies don't have a shelf life. They have a Half-Life.

 

[rlobrecht]

the world would be a better place without the Twinkie.

As a child of the '70s, I will have to respectfully disagree. I may not have eaten a Twinkie in 20 years, but I have some very fond memories of them.

Rick

 

[dancingalone]

Deep fried twinkies are absolutely delicious.

No matter how this turns out, this will not be the end of the Twinkie and the other recognizable Hostess brands. If they go defunct, the brand will be sold to another company and we'll continue to see Twinkies, Ho-Hos and what not, at our grocery stores. Might be a good opportunity for Bimbo Foods USA, the current purveyer of Mrs. Baird's, Sara Lee, and Orowheat breads.

 

[Steve]

I'm thinking too big to fail. I'm thinking we need a bakery bail out.

In the interest of honoring our beloved Twinkie, I'll post a few of my favorite recipes, culled from my Twinkie Cookbook.

Twinkie Pancakes:

Serves 4 to 6

6 Twinkies
4 Cups Pancake Batter
Butter/Margarine/Syrup (optional)

Slice the twinkies into 8 thin disks. Prepare the pancakes just as you would normally, but add three twinkie slices to each pancake prior to flipping.

Twinkie Burrito: Serves 4

4 flour tortillas, warmed (10 or 12 inch)
1/2 to 3/4 cups chocolate syrup
4 twinkies
2 cups sliced strawberries (or substitute 1/2 cup strawberry preserves)

Drizzle the chocolate sauce in the tortilla and roll it up with a twinkie and 1/4 cup strawberries. Nom, nom.

Twinkieclair

10 twinkies, halved lengthwise.
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 (8 oz) conatiner cool-whip, thawed
1 (16 oz) container chocolate frosting

Arrange half of the twinkies in an 8x8 baking dish, cut side up.

Combine the pudding mix and milk in a bowl and stir according to package directions. Fold in the whipped topping and spread over the twinkies.

Arrange the remaining twinkines on top, cut side down.

Soften the frosting in the microwave (remove foil first) and drizzle over the twinkies. Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

 

[Flying Crane]

I'm thinking too big to fail. I'm thinking we need a bakery bail out.

In the interest of honoring our beloved Twinkie, I'll post a few of my favorite recipes, culled from my Twinkie Cookbook.

Twinkie Pancakes:

Serves 4 to 6

6 Twinkies
4 Cups Pancake Batter
Butter/Margarine/Syrup (optional)

Slice the twinkies into 8 thin disks. Prepare the pancakes just as you would normally, but add three twinkie slices to each pancake prior to flipping.

Twinkie Burrito: Serves 4

4 flour tortillas, warmed (10 or 12 inch)
1/2 to 3/4 cups chocolate syrup
4 twinkies
2 cups sliced strawberries (or substitute 1/2 cup strawberry preserves)

Drizzle the chocolate sauce in the tortilla and roll it up with a twinkie and 1/4 cup strawberries. Nom, nom.

Twinkieclair

10 twinkies, halved lengthwise.
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 (8 oz) conatiner cool-whip, thawed
1 (16 oz) container chocolate frosting

Arrange half of the twinkies in an 8x8 baking dish, cut side up.

Combine the pudding mix and milk in a bowl and stir according to package directions. Fold in the whipped topping and spread over the twinkies.

Arrange the remaining twinkines on top, cut side down.

Soften the frosting in the microwave (remove foil first) and drizzle over the twinkies. Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

feed them to young children and watch the ensuing chaos...

 

[Steve]

Imagine a Tiramisu with twinkies instead of lady fingers. Twinkimisu!

1 package vanilla instant pudding
1 3/4 cups Milk
1/4 cup amaretto
1 cup strong coffee, warm (not hot)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 cups Cool Whip (thawed)
10 twinkies
unsweetened cocoa for dusting

Combine pudding mix, milk and amaretto. Mix and then set aside until thick.

In a seperate bowl, combine coffee, sugar and Kahlua. Mix until sugar is dissolved, then refrigerate until cool.

Line baking sheet with wax paper and then arrange the twinkies in a single layer. Drizzle the coffee mixture over each twinkie so that it soaks in.

Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture. Spoon 1/3rd of this into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.

Arrange the twinkies evenly over the pudding, and spoon the remaining pudding over the top of the twinkies. Refrigerate and then dust the top with the cocoa.


Or, take 6 twinkies and cut them in half, lengthwise. Then make a chocolate bundt cake batter. Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan and then arrange the twinkie halves vertically, evenly spaced around the pan. Pour the remaining batter over so that the twinkies are completely covered and bake. Mmmm... twinkie filled bundt cake.

Twinkie Smoothie:

2 Twinkies, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream and 1 cup frozen strawberries. Blend until smooth.

 

[Big Don]

Steve? Have you tried any of these concoctions?