Re "Farewell to the Twinkie -- and 18,500 jobs" (Business, Nov. 17): Hostess is going out of business. Workers will lose jobs. Why? Because labor costs are viewed as a number to be reduced.
It is easy to stop thinking of workers as human beings. They become mere chattel; things to used and discarded. All businesses are supported by labor, the products and services they produce and their customers. If any one factor is weak, that business will fail.
Business must realize that worker salaries are an investment. The question must be: How can this investment in wages, benefits, training and so forth be nurtured so as to add value to the business? In part the answer is simple. Pay the workers decent living wages. Treat them fairly and with respect and trust. Make workers and management a true team of colleagues working together for a common goal. Do this and a mighty economic engine will be turned on.
-- Victor E. Anderson, Elk Grove
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