The contract Hostess wanted to impose on BCTGM workers includes:
-- An immediate 8 percent wage cut.
-- Shifting 20 percent more of health care costs onto the workers (for some workers, this would mean an increased cost of $240 a month for medical insurance).
-- Eliminating retiree Medigap insurance, which covers gaps in Medicare.
-- Eliminating Pension Supplement to pay health and funeral costs.
-- Closing an undisclosed 10 to 12 plants.
-- Eliminating the eight-hour day, which would mean no time-and-a-half pay after eight hours per day.
In addition, the company illegally froze pension contributions mandated under the contract for all of 2012, in violation of federal law. This is still being contested before the National Labor Relations Board.
Also Hostess went through 7 CEOs in the last decade, some executives got raises up to 80% in 2011.