Hostess announces it's going out of business; strike continues
On Friday, Hostess announced it would go out of business because not
enough workers crossed the picket lines to help keep 33 plants going
nationwide.
When KCRA 3 broke the news to strikers on Arden Way, many said they think the company is bluffing, and won't believe it until operations seize altogether.
Union representatives told KCRA 3 that workers are willing to lose their jobs to fight for a fair contract.
Employees said they are fighting cuts in pay that could equal more than 30 percent.
Strikers said they hope another company will buy out Hostess and give them the contract they are asking for.
Hostess said it couldn't financially survive a nationwide strike.
Hostess asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to liquidate the entire company.
More than 18,000 workers nationwide will be out of a job.
One striker who didn't want to give his name said he lost his job when Hostess took away his pension.
Union officials told KCRA 3 they would work with employees to find them other jobs.
Update: Ha! Ha! Ha!
NBC's Savannah Guthrie read a statement on "Today" from the bakers' union that said: “Despite Greg Rayburn’s insulting and disingenuous statements of the last several months, the truth is that Hostess workers and the union have absolutely no responsibility for the failure of this company. That responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the company’s decision makers.”
My uncle says he learned this very same lesson 30 years ago, prior to joining the military. He worked in a small plant in a rural area of the country, and one day they decided that they wanted more benefits. So the struck. Unfortunately for them their leadership never informed them that the company was hanging on by a thread. The strike was the last straw and the management simply closed up shop. Instead of more benefits everyone lost their job. Ever since then my uncle has had less than great things to say about unions.
ReplyDeleteI do like the part where they admit no responsibility for their employers' problems.
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