Grinds my gears: The Baker’s Union

You know what really grinds my gears?
The Baker’s Union

It has recently come to my attention that Hostess, a brand that all of us grew up with, enjoyed, and cherished, is going out of business. This means that the Ding Dong, Sno Ball, and most importantly, the Twinkie, will no longer exist as we know them. This company has been producing these types of snacks since 1930, so we are possibly the fourth generation to experience their sugary delights. However, this historic dessert has been forced into bankruptcy by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), according to Hostess leadership (www.hostessbrands.info). Normally, I would not care. Unions have been fighting for better conditions for their workers ever since Moses and the Egyptians and the world has kept turning. However, this is the first time in my memory that a union has forced a company out of business with a direct impact on me.

Earlier this week, I tried to get a hold of one last Hostess product. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I was toying with either selling it on ebay, or putting it in storage and consuming it in 10 years, since Twinkies are rumored to never expire. King Soopers had sold out of all Hostess products by 9 am on the day that the bankruptcy was announced. I was disappointed, but I pushed onward. I hit every convenience store in the City of Golden. Nothing was there but the dregs of the corporation’s product line. I even asked the manager at Safeway, and he informed me that a dock worker for them had decided to purchase an entire pallet for himself. He didn’t even let it hit the consumer floor. It was time to take drastic measures; I was going straight to the distributor. A snappy lady (which is understandable because I think she was about to lose her job) told me that there was “not a chance” I was going to get a Twinkie anywhere near Denver. Downtrodden and dejected, I have slowly been coping with the fact that I will never again eat a Twinkie (for better or for worse.) The union members responsible for this have lost in that they no longer have jobs, but I believe that the American consumer is the real losing party. Without the Twinkie, overall national temperament will be down through this winter, and the populous will feel more lost than 2 Chainz rockin’ only one chain.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what grinds my gears.