PATTERSON AND BROWN: Demise of the Twinkie reveals unions’ true priorities
The Washington Times
Is there a more iconic American snack than the Twinkie?
The long-ubiquitous “golden sponge cake with cream filling” has been around since 1930, when baker James Dewar invented the ready-made dessert in sleepy River Forest, Ill. Early versions were filled with banana cream, but fruit rationing during World War II forced a switch to the now familiar vanilla.
This enduring American icon is now in jeopardy: Hostess Brands Inc., maker of Twinkies and other baked goods such as Wonder Bread, is close to shutting down. The company announced on its website the immediate “closure of 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the United States.”
What happened? Hostess has faced a variety of challenges in recent years, including an increasingly health-conscious consumer market. But the coup de grace was its prohibitively expensive workforce thanks to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union.