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Have Twinkies Killed the Union Movement?
 [CNBC] Original Twinkies are coming back--but under new management--and with a vow to use nonunion workers.Some five months after Hostess shut down over a standoff with its unions, the restructured company is expecting to put its snacks back on store shelves in the coming months. The Hostess closing left more than 18,000 people out of work across the country--with the vast majority belonging to the Teamsters and the Bakery Union. With Hostess back in business, labor analysts say the union movement may have taken a major hit just when it seemed to be gaining lost energy with recent walkouts or job actions. "The Hostess strike will be a lasting image and not for the good of unions," said Marc Bloch, a labor and employment lawyer at Walter & Haverfield. "I think any management team will hold up a photo to its workers of Hostess strikers and say, 'What's a union going to do for you?''' Bloch said. "The case can be made that they did nothing." The Teamsters said it had no comment, and calls to the Bakery Union were not returned. For the union workers who were left without a job, the Hostess shutdown showed the weakness of unions, said Daniel Opler, a history professor at College of Mount Saint Vincent and a labor relations specialist. "There's no question the bakers union that rejected a settlement made a tactical error here," he said. Nothing to worry about. They've got 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. Posted by: Fred 2013-04-29 |
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