# The end of the Twinkie? Strike threatens Hostess **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249 "2012-04-19T05:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/121 "2012-11-17T15:43:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Little Debbie. They’re cheaper, anyway. Or, if you feel like splurging, Tastykake is still in business (and has better products). But is regional. I’ve never seen that brand out here on the west coast. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/122 "2012-11-17T15:46:51Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > But is regional. I’ve never seen that brand out here on the west coast. You can [buy online](http://shop.tastykake.com/) direct from the company. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/123 "2012-11-17T16:13:16Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You can [buy online](http://shop.tastykake.com/) direct from the company. I worry about the condition my shipment would be in on arrival, given that packages do seem to wind up becoming soccer balls with any shipper. 🙂 ETA: also a bit more money up front than I’m thrilled about spending on a totally unfamiliar item. If I’d ever had opportunity to try these to know if I like them or not, I’d probably be a lot less uncomfortable about those prices. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/124 "2012-11-17T16:17:11Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’ve been a fan of Twinkies, but if Dolly Madison dies, and I can’t get Zingers anymore, there’ll be hell to pay!!! ☹ (I love Zingers, especially with an ice cold glass of milk!) Yes. _ **HELL** _. I just noticed, at the store where I get my Zingers, that they have a 4 pack that looks suspiciously like Twinkies. I don’t bother with them while the other kind are around, but, aren’t they a Twinkie clone??? And, just for the record, Dolly Madison is the best of the lot. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/125 "2012-11-17T16:19:05Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > A friend of mine suggests that since Hostess was privately owned and not publicly traded, the “raises” are actually just the investors recovering their investment, and that this is reasonable. > > Is he right that the ones getting the raises are also the ones who have invested their own resources into the company? If so, then that’s brilliant, because otherwise they’d have to try and get their in bankruptcy court, and there’s no guarantee that they’d get back any of their investment at all, if the company has other, bigger creditors. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/126 "2012-11-17T16:23:07Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If my company were going down the tubes, a 300% increase in my pay might convince me to stick it out rather than jump ship. My colleagues and I have plenty of places to land now, but fewer if we wait until we’re unemployed. This is a common practice to keep very-employable-elsewhere leadership in place. Yes, but, I think the whole point for the outrage is that if you’re running your company into the ground, you don’t have any reason for even keeping your job, let alone getting a raise. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/127 "2012-11-17T16:57:51Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If my company were going down the tubes, a 300% increase in my pay might convince me to stick it out rather than jump ship. My colleagues and I have plenty of places to land now, but fewer if we wait until we’re unemployed. This is a common practice to keep very-employable-elsewhere leadership in place. > [@handsomeharry](#): > > Yes, but, I think the whole point for the outrage is that if you’re running your company into the ground, you don’t have any reason for even keeping your job, let alone getting a raise. Not to mention how such underperformance can leave you a “very-employable-elsewhere leader.” 'course, after seeing the Bob Nardellis of the world, nothing shocks me anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/128 "2012-11-17T17:26:02Z")
Equity firm [C. Dean Metropoulis](http://gothamist.com/2012/11/17/twinkie_lovers_dont_give_up_hope_pb.php) wants to buy the Hostess brand, and has for awhile. They already own PBR, Chef Boyardee, and Bumble Bee Tuna. That’s an interesting mix of brands. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/129 "2012-11-17T23:34:15Z")
Oh I’m pretty sure these folks won’t be lacking for employment, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/130 "2012-11-18T03:10:09Z")
I just got back from the grocery. I was hoping to get a box of Ding-Dongs, but the Hostess shelves were pretty much all cleaned out. The only things they had left were a few bags of those really stale-tasting chocolate doughnuts, and a stack of fruitcakes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/131 "2012-11-18T10:17:19Z")
Anyone who lives in Los Angeles can go to any Yummy Cupcakes location and get an Old School, complete with squiggle. They have them in orange flavor, too. While you’re there, get a Fudge Yummy, too. Maybe a Red Velvet as well… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/132 "2012-11-18T18:57:36Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > If my company were going down the tubes, a 300% increase in my pay might convince me to stick it out rather than jump ship. My colleagues and I have plenty of places to land now, but fewer if we wait until we’re unemployed. This is a common practice to keep very-employable-elsewhere leadership in place. But the employees should suck up an 8% cut or not have a job. There’s seriously an imbalance there. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/133 "2012-11-18T23:06:03Z")
From Associated Press: “But with high brand recognition and $2.5 billion in revenue per year, other companies are interested in bidding for at least pieces of Hostess. Twinkies alone have brought in $68 million in revenue so far this year, which would look good to another snack-maker.” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/134 "2012-11-18T23:32:58Z")
I was in 7-11 today and was surprised to see a variety of Hostess items on the shelf (no twinkies, though). I picked up a couple of Honey Buns. They’re not as tasty as I remember them to be. mmm ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/135 "2012-11-19T00:34:45Z")
> [@Sundrop](#): > > That job ain’t worth $18/hour. It is barely worth $9. So yeah, worker compensation was a problem. That’s $30k. $9 an hour is $16k, well below the poverty line for a family of four. I don’t know what you make, but I’m pretty confident it’s more than $16k a year. $18 an hour is a perfectly reasonable wage for industrial work, and the Union has been working their asses off to maintain a living wage. The only reason it seems high is because everyone else’s wages have been kept so low. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/136 "2012-11-19T01:06:15Z")
I don’t understand why companies aren’t more adept at moderated downsizing. Even if you are only selling half the amount of Twinkies, that’s still a bigger business than when Twinkies were first sold. There shouldn’t be a choice between we must sell all the Twinkies or none at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sundrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sundrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundrop)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/137 "2012-11-19T03:23:10Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > That’s $30k. $9 an hour is $16k, well below the poverty line for a family of four. > > I don’t know what you make, but I’m pretty confident it’s more than $16k a year. $18 an hour is a perfectly reasonable wage for industrial work, and the Union has been working their asses off to maintain a living wage. The only reason it seems high is because everyone else’s wages have been kept so low. No, no it isn’t a reasonable wage for a job that requires no education, no skills, hardly any training, no prior experience. It requires that you drag a wheeled bucket ten or 15 feet or so and push a button, and maybe, maybe, transcribe a number from a display to a check-sheet. That job in that industry pays $8-10/hr, because that’s all the value it provides. If you pay someone twice what the value of their labor is, then you wind up out of business. As for what I make, damn right I make more than $16k a year. But the two aren’t comparable. Because what I do takes a level of education, experience and skills that produce a great deal of value for the firms that employee me and that are in high demand because I can produce results. I’ve also steered my career into a field that has a unemployment rate of around 4.5% overall, and for folks in my part of it, around 2.5%. If people want to make more than $9/hr they need to provide more than $9/hr in value to do so. Just magically asserting they deserve more doesn’t mean they should. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/138 "2012-11-19T03:36:00Z")
> [@Sundrop](#): > > If people want to make more than $9/hr they need to provide more than $9/hr in value to do so. Just magically asserting they deserve more doesn’t mean they should. What about jobs that are physically demanding or involve some level of risk? They don’t deserve decent wages because they don’t have a high enough education? What do you think would happen if everyone in the world suddenly earned a Ph.D.? You still need someone to pick up the trash, run the register, clear the drains or mop the floor. Why is the idea of a decent wage for all so fucking abhorrent? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/139 "2012-11-19T03:57:37Z")
> [@Sundrop](#): > > No, no it isn’t a reasonable wage for a job that requires no education, no skills, hardly any training, no prior experience. It requires that you drag a wheeled bucket ten or 15 feet or so and push a button, and maybe, maybe, transcribe a number from a display to a check-sheet. That job in that industry pays $8-10/hr, because that’s all the value it provides. If you pay someone twice what the value of their labor is, then you wind up out of business. > > As for what I make, damn right I make more than $16k a year. But the two aren’t comparable. Because what I do takes a level of education, experience and skills that produce a great deal of value for the firms that employee me and that are in high demand because I can produce results. I’ve also steered my career into a field that has a unemployment rate of around 4.5% overall, and for folks in my part of it, around 2.5%. > > If people want to make more than $9/hr they need to provide more than $9/hr in value to do so. Just magically asserting they deserve more doesn’t mean they should. Translation: “I got mine, Jack!” Do you really prefer people working in factories to be below the poverty line? Paying someone in a factory 30k, has to potential to allow them to send their children to college - realistically, a community college, but it’s better than nothing. It gives them enough disposible income to be a consumer. Not enough to be an investor beyond their 401k, but enough that their spending has a very high rate of return on the economy as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Sundrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sundrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundrop)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249/140 "2012-11-19T04:18:48Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > What about jobs that are physically demanding or involve some level of risk? They don’t deserve decent wages because they don’t have a high enough education? What do you think would happen if everyone in the world suddenly earned a Ph.D.? > You still need someone to pick up the trash, run the register, clear the drains or mop the floor. > Why is the idea of a decent wage for all so fucking abhorrent? I think you are arguing against a point I am not making. I didn’t say that to make a high wage you have to have a PhD. I said you have to provide value. Being able to do a physically demanding job with a level of risk provides value. This job does not provide $18/hr in value. It provides, essentially, $9/hr. That’s unfortunate, that’s not much money, trying to live on that would suck. But that doesn’t change the basic calculations and the reality of what that labor is worth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-the-twinkie-strike-threatens-hostess/619249.md?page=8)