Hostess plant closings aren’t tied to strike, union says

[VenusRising]

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2012/11/14/hostess-plant-closings-arent-tied-to.html

The closing of three Hostess Brands Inc. plants may have been in the works long before a nationwide union strike that started in Lenexa last week.

Frank Hurt, president of the striking Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, said a recent chain of events shows Hostess is being misleading by saying the plants closed because of the strike. The union represents 5,300 of Hostess’ 18,300 workers.

On Monday, Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn said the company would close plants in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Seattle, affecting 627 jobs. In explaining the decision, he said the company repeatedly had warned workers that if work stoppages crippled Hostess’ ability to produce and deliver products, he would close facilities permanently — and possibly the entire company.

But in a Tuesday article on the KMOX-CBS website, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said he “was told months ago they were planning on closing the site in St. Louis. And there was no indication at that time it had anything to do with the strike the workers were waging.”

[WinkyDink]

1. No-one besides the owners is blaming the unions.

[Robb]

2. Yep. This company's in like it's third bankruptcy.

And every time they stand in front of a judge and beg to be released from their pension and other union contract responsibilities, while at the same time authorizing salary increases for top executives.

The duplicitousness is a matter of public record. Fuck these guys.