A Labor Victory Over Hostess

RADIO TRANSCRIPT. Joe Label has bakers' union boss Frank Hurt on the show

HOST: "Welcome back to Union Talk Radio, I'm your host Joe Label, our guest this hour is Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union President Frank Hurt. First I want to congratulate you guys are a major victory this week, taking down Hostess all the way to liqudation! Brilliant job"

FRANK HURT: "Thank you Joe, yes, it was a magnificient victory indeed for the workers of this country. A great victory for organized labor! A god day for America and our future."

HOST: "What does the demise of Hostess mean to you?"

FRANK HURT: "It means that big business and corporations cannot continue to exploit the working class without consequences. It means that we have shown that labor still has the power and should have a seat at OUR TABLE, not theirs during negotiations"

HOST: "So, this is a warning to corporations all over America?"

FRANK HURT: "Yes it is. We refuse to be slaves for the bottom line. We refuse to work for piddling wages while the fatcats take home millions to their mansions on golf resorts. We can no longer be treated like indentured servants"

HOST: "First caller, on the Teamster line, we have Mac Johnson. Welcome to the show, Mac, what's on your mind?"

CALLER: "Unemployment. I drove a truck for Hostess, we Teamsters saw the bottom line, and the company was dead broke. We took their deal, because we wanted to keep our jobs. Now we have thousands of union brothers without jobs, without any support. Your a one percenter Mr. Hurt, you make a quarter million a year off the back of union members, are you going to feed my family and pay my rent? You put us out of job and now you celebrate from your fatcat offic.........." [dial tone]

HOST: "We seemed to have lost that call. You must have a bad cell there, Mac. I couldn't really make out what he was saying anyway."

FRANK HURT: "No matter what anyone says, we achieved a great victory over exploitation. We have defeated "The Man" and by any measure, this was a true and impression victory for the working class"

HOST: "We have another caller, from Orlando Florida and it's one of your boys, Frank. We have Juan Rodriguez, hola Juan!"

CALLER: "Yes, I worked at the Marita plant. We stood strong and brave against the onslaught of corporate greed. The local Union representative told us that if Hostess is forced to liquidate another company would buy it and give us our jobs at our normal pay and benefits, how long will this take?"

FRANK HURT: "Well, obviously we cannot and did not promise that another company would reopen the plant and give you your normal pay and benefits back. That isn't even the point anyway, what you and your brothers did was to drive a stake through the heart of exploitative capitalist pigs, and you should be proud"

CALLER: "The thing is, Mr. Hurt, I need a job. I've been striking for months, the unemployment benefits are running out, how am I supposed to feed my kids? and my wife, she's like HUGE, you know?"

FRANK HURT: "Eggs need to be broken to make omelets, Juan, we have to keep our eyes on the big picture."

CALLER: "Also, do I need to keep paying dues? I'm pretty broke right now, being unemployed and all..."

FRANK HURT: "Of course, it is always important. It should be your top priority to keep paying your dues. You have to support the movement, Juan, it is more important than anything, even eating. You have to see the big picture. We are winning and soon, nobody will be exploited again because of what you and your brothers did."

HOST: "That is touching and inspirational, Mr. Hurt. You are an awesome role model for every exploited worker in America. Now we have one last caller, Andrew McCall, welcome to the show Andrew!"

CALLER: "Mr. Hurt, companies across America are cutting hours and jobs to avoid penalties and mandates in ObamaCare. How are we supposed to get new good paying jobs when they just don't seem to exist anymore?"

FRANK HURT: "These corporations and businesspeople have proved themselves unpatriotic and disloyal to their own workers. Where is loyalty in the workplace these days? This government must clamp down and punish these companies for doing what they do. In a perfect world we would all strike and shut them all down, only then will Americans be free of exploitation, when there are no companies left!"

CALLER: "Then what? Sounds like we'd starve..."

HOST: "That's all we have time for today, we'll be back tomorrow with Richard Trumpka and he will explain to us how to help Obama subdue the capitalist system! Onward Union Brothers!"