All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
--
http://fija.org/

On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, azotic wrote:

All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came
with benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution
centers and 570 outlet stores across the country. Many production
workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical benefits,
according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had worked
at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he was
offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company
said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. Damn
those unions. Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On Nov 16, 11:05*am, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, azotic wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came
with benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution
centers and 570 outlet stores across the country. Many production
workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical benefits,
according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had worked
at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he was
offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company
said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. *It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. *Damn
those unions. *Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Softwarehttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
...

"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?



In this case I think it is parenting peer-pressure. My wife is the secretary
at an elementary school. If a kid comes to school with a Twinkie in his
lunch box, it is seen by other parents just as if he brought a pack of
cigarettes. Kids might have other treats that are only marginally
healthier, but for some reason the Hostess stuff became the epitome of junk
food that makes kids fat.

"Jon Elson" wrote in message
...
Tom Gardner wrote:


"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?
The buyers, and they apparently have made their decision a couple years
ago. Who knows how long those same twinkies have been sitting on the
grocery store shelves, they keep practically forever, you know!

Jon

What will stoners doooo?

Tom Gardner wrote:


"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?
The buyers, and they apparently have made their decision a couple years
ago. Who knows how long those same twinkies have been sitting on the
grocery store shelves, they keep practically forever, you know!

Jon

On Nov 16, 11:40*am, "Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote:
"jon_banquer" wrote in message

....



Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

Certainly not our government. I think it starts with having taste and
using common sense. I can taste the difference between store milk
that's government subsidized and organic milk from someone like:

http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Snowvi...Ohio-517503595

It's long past time for American's to reject chemical crap like
Twinkies.

On Nov 16, 12:34*pm, "anorton"
wrote:
"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message

...



"jon_banquer" wrote in message
....

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

In this case I think it is parenting peer-pressure. My wife is the secretary
at an elementary school. If a kid comes to school with a Twinkie in his
lunch box, it is seen by other parents just as if he brought a pack of
cigarettes. *Kids might have other treats that are only marginally
healthier, but for some reason the Hostess stuff became the epitome of junk
food that makes kids fat.

Good. It's a start. It's time for more Americans to start rejecting
anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup as well.

Michelle?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
...

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

Tim Wescott wrote:

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. Damn
those unions. Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.


Buggy whips didn't go out on strike, and refuse to go back to their
$20 an hour jobs.

Tom Gardner wrote:

"Jon Elson" wrote in message
...
Tom Gardner wrote:


"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?
The buyers, and they apparently have made their decision a couple years
ago. Who knows how long those same twinkies have been sitting on the
grocery store shelves, they keep practically forever, you know!

Jon

What will stoners doooo?


Push bad CAD software?

Jon Elson wrote:

Tom Gardner wrote:


"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...


Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?
The buyers, and they apparently have made their decision a couple years
ago. Who knows how long those same twinkies have been sitting on the
grocery store shelves, they keep practically forever, you know!


So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Michelle?


All 400 pounds of her?

On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, "azotic"
wrote:

All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
============

While the unions make a convenient scape goat, from the data
record it appears this has been a long term "planned
bankruptcy" or in the more colorful argot of the Goodfellas,
a "bust out," from the time Interstate Bakeries was
purchased out of bankruptcy in 2004 by a consortium of
“private equity” funds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess_Brands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripplewood_Holdings

It appears Hostess Brands had been preparing for a chapter 7
[liquidation] filing for quite some time, as executives and
law firms experienced in liquidation had been hired months
ago, and the liquidation was scheduled even if the unions
had accepted yet another benefit and wage cut.
(Contractually required employer defined benefit pension
contributions stopped over a year ago)

At least one sizable loan was obtained by the renamed
Hostess Brands, nominally to update and modernize their
facilities, but no update appears to have occurred. Rather
the loan proceeds appear to have been used to fund a special
dividend to the stock holders, which were the private equity
funds, and which more than covered their initial investment
to purchase Interstate Bakeries, which had already been run
into the ground by their previous owner, Data Processing and
Financial General which had purchased the corporation in
1975.

There appears to have been several fraudulent loans and the
pension fund seems to have been looted. Both of these
actions should be crimes, but most likely there will be no
prosecutions. Because of unemployment compensation, cost of
the social safety net, loss of taxes paid by the company and
their employees, tax credits for bad loans/business losses,
and expense to cover the pension shortfall through the PBGC,
very considerable costs have been externalized to society
and the general taxpayers.


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

On Nov 16, 10:38*am, "azotic" wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said..

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
--http://fija.org/

Questions people should be asking:

What new and innovative product has Hostess come up with in the last
ten years.

Why didn't Hostess try to make some healthier stuff instead of
chemical garbage?

Why are unions to blame for bad Hostess management?

How about we examine what's in a Twinkee and why so many people (like
myself) won't eat garbage like Twinkee's:

Twinkie ingredients:

"Enriched wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose
corn syrup, vegetable and/or animal shortening – containing one or
more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed and canola oil, and
beef fat, dextrose, whole eggs, modified corn starch, cellulose gum,
whey, leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium
phosphate), salt, cornstarch, corn flour, corn syrup, solids, mono and
diglycerides, soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, dextrin, calcium
caseinate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, wheat gluten, calcium sulphate,
natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, yellow #5, red #40.[8]"

"F. George McDuffee" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, "azotic"
wrote:

All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers
and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to
medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
============

While the unions make a convenient scape goat, from the data
record it appears this has been a long term "planned
bankruptcy" or in the more colorful argot of the Goodfellas,
a "bust out," from the time Interstate Bakeries was
purchased out of bankruptcy in 2004 by a consortium of
"private equity" funds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess_Brands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripplewood_Holdings

It appears Hostess Brands had been preparing for a chapter 7
[liquidation] filing for quite some time, as executives and
law firms experienced in liquidation had been hired months
ago, and the liquidation was scheduled even if the unions
had accepted yet another benefit and wage cut.
(Contractually required employer defined benefit pension
contributions stopped over a year ago)

At least one sizable loan was obtained by the renamed
Hostess Brands, nominally to update and modernize their
facilities, but no update appears to have occurred. Rather
the loan proceeds appear to have been used to fund a special
dividend to the stock holders, which were the private equity
funds, and which more than covered their initial investment
to purchase Interstate Bakeries, which had already been run
into the ground by their previous owner, Data Processing and
Financial General which had purchased the corporation in
1975.

There appears to have been several fraudulent loans and the
pension fund seems to have been looted. Both of these
actions should be crimes, but most likely there will be no
prosecutions. Because of unemployment compensation, cost of
the social safety net, loss of taxes paid by the company and
their employees, tax credits for bad loans/business losses,
and expense to cover the pension shortfall through the PBGC,
very considerable costs have been externalized to society
and the general taxpayers.


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

I am assuming that the whole point of the strike was to attract some
attention to this cooporate looting if the owners did not give workers their
share of the Hostess pie as the comapny was ransacked. They knew they would
soon be out of work anyway.

It is remarkable how closely this parallels the scenario in the movie Wall
Street from 1987 ! It is remarkable that corporate raiders still get away
with stuff like this. It is remarkable that people still believe the
propaganda that unions are just being stupid and greedy while managment is
honest and taken advantage of. In reality, both parties are smart,
unscrupulous, and greedy.

Michael A. Terrell wrote:


So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?
Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.

Jon

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.


They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. Not a pretty sight.

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.


They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...ctober-2-2012/

On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:00:53 -0800, "anorton"
wrote:

snip
I am assuming that the whole point of the strike was to attract some
attention to this cooporate looting if the owners did not give workers their
share of the Hostess pie as the comapny was ransacked. They knew they would
soon be out of work anyway.

It is remarkable how closely this parallels the scenario in the movie Wall
Street from 1987 ! It is remarkable that corporate raiders still get away
with stuff like this. It is remarkable that people still believe the
propaganda that unions are just being stupid and greedy while managment is
honest and taken advantage of. In reality, both parties are smart,
unscrupulous, and greedy.
==============

While there may have been some attempt by the union
leadership to attract attention, IMNSHO it was a refusal by
the union and its members to play any more games. They
could see the writing on the wall, and could follow the
looting of their pension funds, and decided to cut it off
now. FWIW - the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts,
particularly on Capital Gains may have had more to do with
liquidation at this time than any union "interagency."

You may find this analysis of interest
http://www.wright.edu/administration...2-01-OL-18.pdf

Bain, Elliott, and Ripplewood -- all cut from the same bolt
of cloth...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Si...businessman%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Col...28financier%29


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

anorton wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.


They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...ctober-2-2012/


That's open to debate. He does a lot of things that aren't real.
Like those 'Jay Walking' segments. If it was 12 years old, id would
have dehydrated and turned to dust. I had military rations that were
processed in the late '40s, when I was in the Army. They were almost 30
years old. The crackers were dust. Even though they were sealed in a
steel tin, they were stale and just turned to dust when you tried to
pick them up.

Jay wouldn't be funny, if he didn't lie all the time. That's what
second rate comics do for a living. If he was a better liar, he would
forecast the weather.

"F. George McDuffee" wrote:

While there may have been some attempt by the union
leadership to attract attention, IMNSHO it was a refusal by
the union and its members to play any more games. They
could see the writing on the wall, and could follow the
looting of their pension funds, and decided to cut it off
now. FWIW - the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts,
particularly on Capital Gains may have had more to do with
liquidation at this time than any union "interagency."


Tell me, George. If you were the HR director of a company and you
had the choice between applicants with similar backgrounds would you
hire the one from Hostess who refused to go back to work, or another
applicant?

On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:23:53 -0800 (PST), jon_banquer
wrote:

On Nov 16, 11:05*am, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, azotic wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came
with benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution
centers and 570 outlet stores across the country. Many production
workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical benefits,
according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had worked
at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he was
offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company
said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. *It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. *Damn
those unions. *Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Softwarehttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


Right! The U.S. needs more jobless!
--
Cheers,
John B.

On Nov 16, 5:27*pm, John B. wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:23:53 -0800 (PST), jon_banquer









wrote:
On Nov 16, 11:05 am, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, azotic wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came
with benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution
centers and 570 outlet stores across the country. Many production
workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical benefits,
according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had worked
at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he was
offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company
said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. Damn
those unions. Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Softwarehttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

Right! The U.S. needs more jobless!
--
Cheers,
John B.

Better jobs would be created if Americans paid more attention to and
cared more about what they ate.

On Nov 16, 5:30*pm, jon_banquer wrote:
On Nov 16, 5:27*pm, John B. wrote:









On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:23:53 -0800 (PST), jon_banquer

wrote:
On Nov 16, 11:05 am, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, azotic wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks,
some sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came
with benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution
centers and 570 outlet stores across the country. Many production
workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical benefits,
according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had worked
at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he was
offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company
said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

"The industry has overcapacity. We're overcapacity. Our rivals are
overcapacity," Hostess CEO Gregory Rayburn said in an interview on CNBC.

Yup. It's definitely the unions' fault that the market for cheap
preservative-laden food has dried up and that someone had to go. Damn
those unions. Next they'll go and figure out a way to ruin the market
for buggy whips.

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Softwarehttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

Right! The U.S. needs more jobless!
--
Cheers,
John B.

Better jobs would be created if Americans paid more attention to and
cared more about what they ate.

Here is some proof:

http://strausfamilycreamery.com/about/work-for-straus

"azotic" wrote in message ...

All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers
and 570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to
medical benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee
who had worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions,
before he was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
--
http://fija.org/

Right after re-electing King Ding Dong!

RogerN

On 11/16/2012 7:43 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

anorton wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.


They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...ctober-2-2012/


That's open to debate. He does a lot of things that aren't real.
Like those 'Jay Walking' segments. If it was 12 years old, id would
have dehydrated and turned to dust. I had military rations that were
processed in the late '40s, when I was in the Army. They were almost 30
years old. The crackers were dust. Even though they were sealed in a
steel tin, they were stale and just turned to dust when you tried to
pick them up.

Jay wouldn't be funny, if he didn't lie all the time. That's what
second rate comics do for a living. If he was a better liar, he would
forecast the weather.



I haven't had a Twinkie since I was 8 or so, and I didn't like them
them. I can't stand anything like them or Wonder bread. No loss to me!
I do feel for the owners...destroyed by the union.

On 11/16/2012 5:44 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Michelle?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
...

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.


I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?



I bet she has them delivered to the WH by
the truck load, they go right to her ass.

On 11/16/2012 5:58 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Michelle?


All 400 pounds of her?


Just her ass!

On Nov 16, 2:34*pm, "anorton"
wrote:
"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message

...



"jon_banquer" wrote in message
....

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

In this case I think it is parenting peer-pressure. My wife is the secretary
at an elementary school. If a kid comes to school with a Twinkie in his
lunch box, it is seen by other parents just as if he brought a pack of
cigarettes. *Kids might have other treats that are only marginally
healthier, but for some reason the Hostess stuff became the epitome of junk
food that makes kids fat.

When I was a kid...I always smoked Twinkles after recess...after doing
the school nurse of course.

TMT

On 11/16/2012 5:05 PM, jon_banquer wrote:
On Nov 16, 11:40 am, "Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote:
"jon_banquer" wrote in message

...



Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

Certainly not our government. I think it starts with having taste and
using common sense. I can taste the difference between store milk
that's government subsidized and organic milk from someone like:

http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Snowvi...Ohio-517503595

It's long past time for American's to reject chemical crap like
Twinkies.


So, are you saying that parents should actually parent? Then what do
we have a Government for? This is not the age of responsibility and
never will be again.

On Nov 16, 5:23*pm, F. George McDuffee gmcduf...@mcduffee-
associates.us wrote:
On Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:38:46 -0800, "azotic"





wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.

============

While the unions make a convenient scape goat, from the data
record it appears this has been a long term "planned
bankruptcy" or in the more colorful argot of the Goodfellas,
a "bust out," from the time Interstate Bakeries was
purchased out of bankruptcy in 2004 by a consortium of
private equity funds.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess...ewood_Holdings

It appears Hostess Brands had been preparing for a chapter 7
[liquidation] filing for quite some time, as executives and
law firms experienced in liquidation had been hired months
ago, and the liquidation was scheduled even if the unions
had accepted yet another benefit and wage cut.
(Contractually required employer defined benefit pension
contributions stopped over a year ago)

At least one sizable loan was obtained by the renamed
Hostess Brands, nominally to update and modernize their
facilities, but no update appears to have occurred. *Rather
the loan proceeds appear to have been used to fund a special
dividend to the stock holders, which were the private equity
funds, and which more than covered their initial investment
to purchase Interstate Bakeries, which had already been run
into the ground by their previous owner, Data Processing and
Financial General which had purchased the corporation in
1975.

There appears to have been several fraudulent loans and the
pension fund seems to have been looted. Both of these
actions should be crimes, but most likely there will be no
prosecutions. *Because of unemployment compensation, cost of
the social safety net, loss of taxes paid by the company and
their employees, tax credits for bad loans/business losses,
and expense to cover the pension shortfall through the PBGC,
very considerable costs have been externalized to society
and the general taxpayers.

--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Take a hard look...Mitt's fingerprints on this one.

TMT

On Nov 16, 7:46*pm, Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks wrote:
On 11/16/2012 7:43 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:







anorton wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
news:BvOdnbXmaZoHSzvNnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@earthlink. com...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

* * So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. *I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.

* *They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. *I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. *Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...leno-skit-stuf....

* * That's open to debate. *He does a lot of things that aren't real.
Like those 'Jay Walking' segments. *If it was 12 years old, id would
have dehydrated and turned to dust. *I had military rations that were
processed in the late '40s, when I was in the Army. *They were almost 30
years old. *The crackers were dust. *Even though they were sealed in a
steel tin, they were stale and just turned to dust when you tried to
pick them up.

* *Jay wouldn't be funny, if he didn't lie all the time. *That's what
second rate comics do for a living. *If he was a better liar, he would
forecast the weather.

I haven't had a Twinkie since I was 8 or so, and I didn't like them
them. *I can't stand anything like them or Wonder bread. *No loss to me!
* I do feel for the owners...destroyed by the union.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

SO Tommy....what are you going to do to replace your lost business
from this customer?

TMT

On Nov 16, 5:46*pm, Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks wrote:
On 11/16/2012 7:43 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:











anorton wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
news:BvOdnbXmaZoHSzvNnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@earthlink. com...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

* * So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. *I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.

* *They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. *I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left them
laying around. *Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...leno-skit-stuf....

* * That's open to debate. *He does a lot of things that aren't real.
Like those 'Jay Walking' segments. *If it was 12 years old, id would
have dehydrated and turned to dust. *I had military rations that were
processed in the late '40s, when I was in the Army. *They were almost 30
years old. *The crackers were dust. *Even though they were sealed in a
steel tin, they were stale and just turned to dust when you tried to
pick them up.

* *Jay wouldn't be funny, if he didn't lie all the time. *That's what
second rate comics do for a living. *If he was a better liar, he would
forecast the weather.

I haven't had a Twinkie since I was 8 or so, and I didn't like them
them. *I can't stand anything like them or Wonder bread. *No loss to me!
* I do feel for the owners...destroyed by the union.

Destroyed by bad management and the inability to develop new products
that the market wants. Unions had nothing to do with the downfall of
Hostess.

On Nov 16, 5:53*pm, Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks wrote:
On 11/16/2012 5:05 PM, jon_banquer wrote:









On Nov 16, 11:40 am, "Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote:
"jon_banquer" wrote in message

....

Hope this is just the beginning of companies who fail to make healthy
food going broke.

I agree, but who decides what is unhealthy?

Certainly not our government. I think it starts with having taste and
using common sense. I can taste the difference between store milk
that's government subsidized and organic milk from someone like:

http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Snowvi...any-Ohio-51750...

It's long past time for American's to reject chemical crap like
Twinkies.

So, are you saying that parents should actually parent? * Then what do
we have a Government for? *This is not the age of responsibility and
never will be again.

I'm saying the government needs to stop subsidizing and controlling
milk. What he have today isn't even real milk. It's watery garbage.

"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...

I'm saying the government needs to stop subsidizing and controlling
milk. What he have today isn't even real milk. It's watery garbage.


You can't even grow and eat your own food anymore.
The Southern Nevada Health District has raided an organic farm picnic
destroying the organic produce, which was classified by them as bio-hazard
material.




Apparently all the natural food served from farm must be certified by the
United States Department of Agriculture so the owners had to dispose of all
food including vegetables because of their 'bio-hazard potential'.

This meant the owners of the farm had to pour bleach on the produce in order
to safely render the dangerous organic healthy potatoes safe and prevent
them from being eaten by the farm owners as private citizens or by livestock
such as the pigs on the farm.



Read mo
http://www.economicvoice.com/nevada-...#ixzz2CRYlzI6q


Best Regards
Tom.
--
http://fija.org/

In article ,
Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:


So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?
Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.

Jon

Some friends left some Twinkies and a loaf of beard on their boat (not
intentionally.)

Came back months later to find a suppurating green mass of mold where
the bread had been and (right beside it on the counter, so they said)
Twinkies that looked fresh out of the package.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

In article e9254264-ce48-4d2f-b357-
, says...

On Nov 16, 10:38*am, "azotic" wrote:
All Hostess Brands employees will lose their jobs in the coming weeks, some
sooner than others, the company announced Friday. The layoffs span
nationwide, and represent a deep cut in mid-wage jobs that often came with
benefits. The company had operated 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers and
570 outlet stores across the country.
Many production workers earned up to $20 an hour, plus had access to medical
benefits, according to Michael O'Brien, a former Hostess employee who had
worked at the company for 45 years, in various sales functions, before he
was offered a buyout last year.

A recent bakers strike was the final nail in the coffin, the company said.

"Widespread strikes by the Bakers Union forced us to cease operations
because we can longer produce or delivery product."

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news.../hostess-jobs/

Best Regards
Tom.
--http://fija.org/

Questions people should be asking:

What new and innovative product has Hostess come up with in the last
ten years.

Why didn't Hostess try to make some healthier stuff instead of
chemical garbage?

Why are unions to blame for bad Hostess management?

"The unions" are not to blame for bad Hostess management.

The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers
International Union however is to blame for going on strike after the
company settled with the Teamsters, making it impossible for the company
to continue operations.

"jon_banquer" wrote in message
...
On Nov 16, 5:46 pm, Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks wrote:
On 11/16/2012 7:43 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:











anorton wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
news:BvOdnbXmaZoHSzvNnZ2dnUVZ_radnZ2d@earthlink. com...

Jon Elson wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

So, you've never seen moldy Twinkies?

Umm, actually, no, I never have, and I'm pretty sure I've
seen some that were quite old. I suppose if they get wet, they
will start to rot.

They only have a 30 day shelf life, unlike the Urban Myths to the
contrary. I have seen them covered in bread mold when someone left
them
laying around. Not a pretty sight.

Jay Leno ate a 12 year-old unopened twinkie on air
http://writingshares.com/nbc-tv-toni...leno-skit-stuf...

That's open to debate. He does a lot of things that aren't real.
Like those 'Jay Walking' segments. If it was 12 years old, id would
have dehydrated and turned to dust. I had military rations that were
processed in the late '40s, when I was in the Army. They were almost 30
years old. The crackers were dust. Even though they were sealed in a
steel tin, they were stale and just turned to dust when you tried to
pick them up.

Jay wouldn't be funny, if he didn't lie all the time. That's what
second rate comics do for a living. If he was a better liar, he would
forecast the weather.

I haven't had a Twinkie since I was 8 or so, and I didn't like them
them. I can't stand anything like them or Wonder bread. No loss to me!
I do feel for the owners...destroyed by the union.

Destroyed by bad management and the inability to develop new products
that the market wants. Unions had nothing to do with the downfall of
Hostess.


===

The unions repeatedly accepted pay cuts and other concessions.

Consumer demand for pre-sliced plain white bread and mass-produced
individually wrapped sugar coated snack cakes has been on the decline for
going on at least 2 decades now.

Rather than invest in new products and technology, management killed the
golden goose and squeezed the last few eggs from it's dead carcass.