LA Times: Poor management, not union intransigence, killed Hostess
Below is an exerpt of the November 25th article written by Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times. Click here to read the full article. ...
25 November, 2012
Through the Eyes of a Union Member: The Slow Demise of an American Baking Company
The following story was sent to us by a retired BCTGM Local 24 member. It is a true account of a dedicated bakery worker who grew up in and with Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC), in its various forms. Like his father before him, he spent his career working hard and supporting his family with good wages and the protection of a union contract. And like his father, he watched as the company was mismanaged and...
21 November, 2012
BCTGM Joinder Submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert D. Drain on Monday Morning
Today, 11/19/12, at 9:37 a.m. the BCTGM submitted the below document to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert D. Drain in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York, Hostess Brands Chapter 11 Case No. 12-22052 : JOINDER OF THE BAKERY, CONFECTIONERY, TOBACCO WORKERS AND GRAIN MILLERS INTERNATIONAL UNION IN OBJECTIONS TO DEBTORS’ EMERGENCY WINDDOWN MOTION AND MOTION PURUSUANT TO SECTION 1113(e) OF THE BANKRUPTCY CODE Click here to dowload the 16-page PDF...
19 November, 2012
Giving Thanks for Hostess Workers
Written by Richard Trumka for the Daily Kos This is the new American story, but someone finally stood up and said, “Stop!” Pundits should be applauding the Bakery Workers of Hostess Brands for standing up to Wall Street interests and standing for decent working standards and the middle class. The truth is that the Bain-style vulture capitalists invested in Hostess to profit not by making quality products, but by bleeding the company of every dollar before discarding it. They’re...
18 November, 2012
Hostess Demise a Decade in the Making
Download the full press release. Download an updated fact sheet. The following statement was issued by BCTGM International Union President Frank Hurt in response to the announcement by Hostess Brands that it would begin liquidation. “Hostess’s announcement that it is liquidating the company is a deep disappointment for all of our Hostess members. While Hostess management wants to blame our members for the demise of the company, the truth is that had it not been for the valiant...
18 November, 2012
Global Solidarity with BCTGM Members on Strike Against Hostess
More than 3,300 union members and activists from 125 countries have signed messages of solidarity sent through the IUF to the BCTGM members on strike against Hostess Brands. The IUF is an global federation of trade unions that represents workers employed in the agriculture, food and beverage and tobacco industries. The BCTGM is one of 336 trade unions from 120 countries that belong to the IUF, which represents more than 12 million workers. It is based in...
15 November, 2012
Hostess in Current Condition Because of Failed Management
The following statement was issued by BCTGM International Union President Frank Hurt in response to claims by Hostess Brands that it would begin liquidation should union members not end the strike and return immediately to production facilities: “The crisis facing Hostess Brands is the result of nearly a decade of financial and operational mismanagement that resulted in two bankruptcies, mountains of debt, declining sales and lost market share. The Wall Street investors who took over the...
15 November, 2012
VIDEO: Striking Local 218 Members at Hostess Brands, Emporia, KS
14 November, 2012
Hostess Continues Pattern of Misinformation
In a desperate attempt to break the solidarity and resolve of striking BCTGM members across the country, Hostess Brands is falsely claiming that its decision to close three of its bakeries -- St. Louis, Cincinnati and Seattle -- is the result of the nationwide strike against the company by BCTGM members. In fact, according to the company’s 1113 filing with the bankruptcy court earlier this year as well as its last/best/final and non-negotiable proposal to its...
13 November, 2012
BCTGM Hostess Strike Shuts Down Major Production Plants; Workers Honor Pickets
On Friday, November 9 BCTGM members employed by Hostess Brands across the country began to strike. These workers, many of whom have worked at Hostess and its predecessor companies for decades, are on strike in response to the company’s unilateral imposition of a horrendous contract that was rejected by 92 percent of BCTGM Hostess workers in September. NEW:November 16 Fact Sheet NEW: November 16 press statement from BCTGM International President Frank Hurt November 15 press statement from BCTGM...
13 November, 2012
BCTGM Members Reject Hostess Proposal By Over Ninety Percent
BCTGM members employed by Hostess Brands rejected the company’s Last/Best/Final proposal by 92 percent. Union members in every region of the country and every segment of the company’s operations overwhelmingly opposed the proposal. In many locations, the vote to reject the proposal was unanimous. In announcing the vote results, BCTGM International President Frank Hurt stated, “Throughout this entire bankruptcy process, I have been crystal clear with Hostess management that our members will determine the outcome. On August...
17 September, 2012
A Letter from President Hurt to all BCTGM Members Employed by Hostess Brands
Since June of 2010, I have communicated extensively in writing with your local unions regarding the very serious financial difficulties of your employer, Hostess Brands. Many of my communications should have been posted on Union bulletin boards at your work location so that you were kept continually informed. Additionally, we held a meeting in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 2012, for all Hostess production locals. Both I and Secretary-Treasurer/Director of Organization David Durkee, have personally...
11 May, 2012
President Hurt: “2012: A Year of Immense Challenge”
As we begin the new year, the immediate challenges that lie ahead for the BCTGM are as daunting as any this Union has faced in its long and proud history. Many employers in our industries are pursuing a destructive strategy of "my way or the highway" in their relationship with our Union. Tragically, the 1,300 BCTGM members at American Crystal Sugar remain locked out of the jobs they want to return to; jobs they so ably...
08 March, 2012
B&C Pension Fund Represented on Hostess Credit Committee
On January 18, the first hearing concerning the bankruptcy of Hostess Brands was held in New York, N.Y. before a federal bankruptcy judge. The purpose of the court proceedings was to name members to the Creditors Committee. Bob Bergin, Executive Director of the Bakery and Confectionery Union and Industry International Health & Pension Funds, was placed on the Committee. The Creditors Committee also includes representatives for the Teamsters and other union pension funds, as well as...
19 January, 2012
BCTGM to Continue Efforts to Protect Members at Hostess
On Wednesday, January 11, Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2004. The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) represents more than 5,000 workers at Hostess Brands. The BCTGM International Union’s legal and financial team, under the direction of International President Frank Hurt, has been working with Hostess for months to identify an amenable resolution that would address the company’s financial difficulties. Throughout this process, the company has...
12 January, 2012
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