Hostess Brands going out of business as a union busting tactic to evade collective bargaining; public ownership is the solution.

To: Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO;

Richard,

I received your letter below regarding Hostess Brands going out of business in order to evade collective bargaining.

What puzzles me is your good friend, President Barack Obama, has refused--- once again--- to come to the aid and assistance of the very workers who supported and voted for him.

Why do you refuse to bring forward the only option to save these more than 18,000 jobs, PUBLIC OWNERSHIP?

Certainly workers have the ability to operate these bakeries, do they not?

You rail against the "greedy vulture capitalists" who own Hostess Brands yet you are unwilling to bring forward the idea we don't need nor require them to carry on production or distribution.

These plants and distribution centers across the country should be seized before any equipment is removed with production and distribution continuing.

There are over 47 million people on food stamps in this country who could get a better deal on these products while workers get paid real living--- non-poverty--- wages.

The work week could be reduced to 32 hours with workers receiving 40 hours of pay which would create the opportunity to hire more than 5,000 unemployed workers.

Workers and consumers would benefit from the public ownership of these plants and distribution centers.

Why not put this to Hostess Brands workers losing their jobs to see what they think of this idea?

As you and Leo Gerard keep telling us, there are over 50,000 closed mines, mills and factories in this country--- why let these "greedy Wall Street vultures" continue dictating the plight of working people?

I would be interested in hearing your opinion of my suggestion.

From what I have heard, Hostess Brands has been one of American Crystal Sugar Company's largest customers yet you never suggested boycotting their Twinkies and Ding Dongs.

Are you really "standing with Hostess Brands workers?" When I see you leading the workers in a takeover of these plants I will believe you are standing up for Hostess workers.

Yours in solidarity and struggle,

Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council


The letter I received from Richard Trumka which is more of the same militant sounding but non-struggle blow-hard crap...


Alan,

Wall street vultures are blaming workers for getting rid of your sweets—and that’s just not right.

You might have heard that Hostess Brands, the company that makes Twinkies, Ding Dongs and other desserts, filed for court permission to go out of business, and that its blaming a worker strike for the shutdown.

The Wall Street hedge fund managers who run the company have squeezed every cent out of Hostess for eight years. And they’ve put their friends with no experience in the baking industry in high-level management positions.

Hostess workers believe in their company, and we need to stand with them—sign our pledge to support  workers, not greedy CEOs who will cut and run for a quick buck. 

What’s happening here is a classic Bain Capital-style assault—blame the little guy to cover the greedy corporate policies that are gutting the middle class.

It’s not just happening to the workers who make the great products Americans love. What’s happening at Hostess is happening to workers all over this country. It’s wrong. And it has to stop.

Crony capitalism and poor management drove Hostess into the ground, not the workers who are now paying the price. In this struggling economy, the greedy corporate executives are willing to let 18,000 people lose their jobs—just so they can pad their pockets.

Hostess' executives are now blaming workers who’ve offered their company multiple concessions and want it to succeed. This is what’s wrecking our country.

Workers have borne the brunt of bad decision-making by executives who didn’t know anything about the baking business. And they’re the ones getting fired?

These brave workers need to know we stand with them—and we’ll stand with everyone who will take a stand against the corporate race-to-the-bottom.

go.aflcio.org/Hostess-Greed

In Solidarity,

Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO