Congratulations, unions! After deciding to strike instead of taking an 8% pay cut, 100% of Hostess' employees will be taking a 100% pay cut. That's right, the unthinkable is happening -- Hostess, the maker of the American classic treats like Ho Ho’s and Twinkies, is going out of business.
Glenn jokingly called it the "saddest news of the day."
"Twinkies are gone," he said sorrowfully this morning. "The golden sponge cake with creamy filling, snack classic. The reason why I bring this up, right after the oil spill, is because I believe a lot of this is petrochemical-based."
It's understandable why the employees at Hostess would be upset. There was an 8% pay cut headed their way. But what's better an 8% pay cut or a 100% pay cut?
"Let's say you're pissed off about the 8% pay cut and, you know, who wouldn't be. But you'd rather have the job. So you at least keep the job with the 8% pay cut until you can find something else that you're happy with," Pat suggested. "You certainly wouldn't want to be out of a job completely and making zero dollars. I mean, you know, think about that. If you're working at Hostess and you're making $50,000 a year, an 8% pay cut is what? You'd be making 47 then? So instead of making $47,000 a year rather than 50, you'd rather make zero dollars a year? How does that makes sense in anyone's world?"
Glenn believes that the unions, more specifically: the union leaders, are pushing for unrest.
" The unions want joblessness now. They needed to have it look like there were lots of jobs but now it works to the advantage of the president to show how bad the economy is going and to have more joblessness. It works to the advantage because it creates unrest. It creates a need for a savior — a need for big government to bail people out," he explained.
He added, "I'm convinced they want the fiscal cliff. It was their idea. It was their idea. You're not negotiating. I have no problem negotiating and compromising on things. I won't compromise my value, but compromise is important. But you don't compromise with people who are suicidal, and you don't compromise with people who are not honest brokers. You need an honest broker at the table. Hostess was not negotiating with an honest broker. An honest broker says, "Look, we want you to be in business. We want you to be in business. We know you've gone bankrupt a couple of times. We want you to be in business because it's good for our people. We have 18,500 families." Think of that. 18,500 families. We want you to be in business. So let's negotiate. Now come on. Really, there's nothing else you can do? There's nothing else we can do. We're bankrupt. You don't let somebody go out of business like that. If you're an honest broker? They're not honest brokers."
The tone of show took a sharp turn when Glenn and Pat began discussing the actual Hostess products that were about to be lost from the shelves.
"We can't let this go out of business," Glenn exclaimed, before eating a Twinkie.
Glenn then revealed he was possibly holding on to some of the last Hostess products in the Dallas area. So, of course, they put them where they would be kept safe: the Liberty Safe.
All joking aside, Glenn did emphasize that it really was a sad day.
"Wonder Bread gone, Twinkies gone. I mean, that's a really big deal," he told listeners.
Rest in peace Hostess, America will miss you...