Some of the first Hostess workers to walk off the job last Friday were right here in Biddeford. This means a lot of people are without work right before the holidays. Across the country more than 18,000 Hostess employees will lose their jobs. And it is important to note that most of those workers are not represented by the baker's union and were not a part of this nationwide strike.
In fact, the teamsters union, agreed to the contract terms and have been crossing picket lines to go to work, but they are still critical of the company. A teamsters rep says "Hostess' problems go back almost a decade. The company has clearly been mismanaged for quite some time. However, the workers should not suffer because of poor management."
Hostess brands says it will move quickly to lay off workers and sell all of its assets. 33 bakeries will close as well as more than a thousand distribution centers and outlet stores nationwide. In Biddeford, the Hostess plant is one of the city’s biggest employers. Which means hundreds of people will be without a job and the Biddeford mayor says the trickle-down effect will have a tough impact on the local economy.
The mayor tells us he is hopeful there will be some interest from another company to take over this bakery which has some modern equipment and a trained workforce. Of course, that is not guaranteed and even if another company comes in - that doesn't mean that these folks will all be re hired.
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