A new contract imposed on Hostess employees causes striking across the country.
Tulsa workers, at the 11th and Sheridan factory, are joining in.
Employees in the union representing bakery and confectionary workers, as well as employees in the International Union of Operating Engineers, are demonstrating on the southeast corner of 11th and Sheridan, and at the entrances to the campus on Sheridan Avenue and 11th Street.
“These negotiations are like none ever before,” one long-time employee said. He spoke to KWGS on condition of anonymity due to a posted company policy. “There’s been no negotiating. There’s been a low-ball offer from the beginning.”
A major complaint is that Hostess is no longer contributing to its employees’ pension fund.
“They did that five months before they even filed bankruptcy,” the employee said. The bankruptcy filing was in January.
Included is an eight percent wage cuts. That plus other cuts to benefits amount to about a 30 percent reduction in pay.
The strikers said that they plan to remain protesting around the clock, for as long as necessary.
Meanwhile, Hostess has warned that if the work stoppage continues, the survival of the company could be in jeopardy.