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How the Grinch Stole Hostess

Or — suppose if more people with power over others had real Christmas spirit, especially at Christmas.

Or — suppose if more people with power over others had real Christmas spirit, especially at Christmas. 

Take a company that is making a product that is valuable, is
paying its bills including its payroll, but is not generating much profit
(profit is what’s left over after paying all bills including salaries), and that

has plants that are in prime locations worth millions as property. 

Take investors who buy the company knowing all these facts.

Then load the workers down with increasing demands on their
salaries to the point where it is obvious they will reject the last offers.

Then blame the “greedy” workers for rejecting that last
offer.

The result is a nice Christmas present for the investors and
top management: millions in profits for the investors and millions in bonuses
for the top management, which give them excellent reasons for going along with
the dissolving and selling off of the assets of the company.

And---18,000 plus skilled workers also get a Christmas
presents from the investors.” Sorry guys, all you have this year in your
stocking from Hostess are pinks slips!”

I’m sure that among the investors and top management are
plenty of people that attend church and consider themselves Christians.  Go figure?

dexterjibs December 2, 2012 at 02:05 am
I love my Twinkies frozen
Helen December 3, 2012 at 01:43 am
Was this another Baine Capitol Deal? Are these the same CEO's that did the Wall Street deals? Start a petition!
BAIL OUT HOSTESS SAVE 18,000+ JOBS HOSTESS is an American institution, just like the auto industry. Take back: 1. the company, 2. the CEO bonuses as rewards for bankrupting the company, 3. the pink slips. There is more at stake than just 18,000+ jobs. The 47% people need to wake up and draw a line in the freezing snow. The greedy 2% is alive and still pushing. Humbug to the 47%! Grandma Helen
John Locatelli December 3, 2012 at 02:52 pm
Hi Guys--
I was watching CNN heroes last night and it made me feel better about the world. Those "heroes" saw people that needed help and helped them. Those investors saw people that needed help and instead helped themselves.
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA December 3, 2012 at 06:43 pm
Not the cupcake world I grew up in Spokane. J-
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA December 3, 2012 at 09:57 pm
We kids in Spokane were all taken on field trips to the Hostess Bakery. Didn't hurt us a bit. J-
Jeanne Gustafson (Editor) December 3, 2012 at 10:08 pm
I used to love the smell of that bakery when I took my daughter to preschool at the YWCA, Jerry. Souvenirs de Proust! I was a little non-plussed when my son got two Twinkies in his Halloween haul this year, but now I think the person giving those out in Kirkland was prescient, because they disappeared from shelves completely a few weeks later. If not for that Halloween treat, he would have never tasted one.
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA December 4, 2012 at 01:57 am
Were you a Spokaneite too? I was raised on Lincoln Street, South Hill. J-
Jeanne Gustafson (Editor) December 4, 2012 at 02:19 am
I grew up on the other Wall Street, Jerry, but moved from the North Hill to the South Hill and raised my daughter off 25th Blvd. in the Hutton neighborhood.
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA December 4, 2012 at 02:59 am
All sounds familiar, Jeanne. I went to Lincoln Grade School. J-
Jeanne Gustafson (Editor) December 4, 2012 at 03:05 am
I know it well. One of the main alternate routes when Southeast Blvd. gets hinky in the winter.
Bob McCoy December 4, 2012 at 03:55 am
Get a blog, guys.
Bob McCoy December 4, 2012 at 04:14 am
I believe your analysis is spot on, John. But then, I always was a sucker for facts.
Jeanne Gustafson (Editor) December 4, 2012 at 10:22 am
Touché, Bob!
dexterjibs December 5, 2012 at 01:20 am
So, John do you have employees at your business that are unionized and can make demands of you? Or do you keep it all for yourself?
Brad Strecker December 6, 2012 at 03:45 am
The employees should buy the company or start their own company. How about allowing the company to put both twinkies and bread on the same truck for delivery. Most if the time it is the union the destroys the company.
Brad Strecker December 6, 2012 at 03:49 am
I think we should be more concered about the government debt instead of what private companies do.
dexterjibs December 6, 2012 at 04:43 am
I love how most of the unions at Hostess approved contracts with the company but one union said "no" and this caused other union members lose their job. I work at the Port of Tacoma and my fellow longshore union members are able to come to work highon drugs or drunk and keep their jobs. This is one union member that is disgusted with unions and their tactics and actions and their undying loyalty to the Democrat Party. And even more disgusted with business owners (that don't have unionized employees) that defend unions.
John Locatelli December 6, 2012 at 02:56 pm
Hi Dexter---
Our family (Dad, Mom and Daughter) run Young's Enumclaw Flowers and Gifts, and we do keep it all for ourselves----but------unfortunately----we divide up a pile of debt, long hours and hard work (still hopeful however). Our daughter Mary read your comment and now she has formed a one person union. It's a little mortifying to have our own daughter picketing ourside our front door!
dexterjibs December 6, 2012 at 04:30 pm
Ha! John that is hilarious. I will picket with your daughter (and maybe I will bring my longshore buddies) and we will make the greedy owners pay : )
Jon H December 7, 2012 at 04:55 am
This is all of your assumption, and this does happen. But having worked in unionized shops, they suck the life out of a company. They tend to prop up the lazy, dishonest and unskilled and punish those who attempt to help the he company make it.
Some union members act as if the union is the one cutting the checks, not the owners. And at the end of the day, the Customer is the one who decides if the product or service is worthwhile. In the case of Hostess it was probably a matter of time before they were targeted by Michelle O's campaign against fat kids.

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Margaret Santjer (Editor) June 18, 2013 at 10:46 am
Thanks for posting this Jenene! If you haven't yet, be sure to add it to our clickable garage saleRead More map, too: http://enumclaw.patch.com/groups/summer/p/post-your-yard-sale-for-free-on-enumclaw-patch
Margaret Santjer (Editor) June 18, 2013 at 10:47 am
Hi, LouAnn. We'd also love to have you post your sale on our clickable garage sale map, if youRead More haven't yet: http://enumclaw.patch.com/groups/summer/p/post-your-yard-sale-for-free-on-enumclaw-patch
Jenny Manning (Editor) June 12, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Awesome. I'll have to give them a try. Thanks for sharing your experience at Oshio Sushi, Jaclyn!
Liz Clark June 12, 2013 at 09:21 pm
We finally tried it too. Good, but not necessarily affordable. Tough to compete with our favoriteRead More (Trapper's Sushi).
Susan Etchey June 4, 2013 at 03:37 pm
My mistake. Merchants ..no spell check on this site!
Akiko Oda (Editor) June 4, 2013 at 04:43 pm
Thanks for posting, Susan! We encourage you to also fill out this form to be included in the yardRead More sale map that we'll publish later this week. http://enumclaw.patch.com/groups/summer/p/post-your-yard-sale-for-free-on-enumclaw-patch
John Locatelli June 5, 2013 at 10:09 am
This is a great chance to buy quality items at good prices!!
dexterjibs June 2, 2013 at 11:46 pm
What f you don't have FB? Can you tell us Enumclaw Patch readers what you are looking for?