Congratulations, .... You Killed the Twinkie

Just before Thanksgiving, we heard the news that Hostess would be shutting down. It meant that over 18,000 people would lose their jobs and that Twinkies, HoHo’s, and Wonder Bread were gone. We saw an American tradition quickly go from endangered to extinct, virtually over night.

Hostess had been in financial trouble for a while. It filed bankruptcy in 2004, emerged from bankruptcy in 2009, and then filed again in 2011. The company was in big trouble. Some of it due to labor and benefits costs. The labor dispute Hostess has endured over the last few months with the Teamsters and other unions didn’t help things any, either. Interestingly, all the unions involved, including the Teamsters, reached agreements with Hostess, except for one – the bakers. Each agreed to pay cuts and other concessions in order to help keep the company afloat and allow people to hold onto their jobs. All of them that is, except the bakers.

Just before Thanksgiving, Hostess gave the bakers union a deadline for reaching an agreement. The company advised them that if an agreement was not reached, then the company would be shut down. Then, themselves and all of their fellow employees, over 18,000 in total, would be out of a job. The last report I saw said that the bakers refused to take a pay cut of 5%. In essence, they chose no pay over taking a 5% cut. That makes no sense to me.

Up until a few years ago, I was indifferent in regards to unions – I could take them or leave them. In fact, several years ago, for a very brief time, I considered joining a union. I had been unlawfully discriminated against at work, and I considered joining the union in order to “stick it to the man.” As I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that doing so would only make matters worse and lead to retaliation by management. Instead, I decided that since I was young and had a degree and my CPA, I would take responsibility for myself and go find another job. Why stick around that environment, be miserable, and depend on the union to look out for me. Nope. I’d take of myself. Screw “the man” and the union.

Over the last few years, I’ve been watching unions more closely and looking more into what they are about. The argument can be made that at one time in this country, there was a need for them. Workplace conditions were unsafe. Workers were mistreated. However, nowadays, I don’t think that argument holds any water. There are plenty of labor laws and other regulatory requirements on the books to protect the American worker.

The more I’ve looked into unions, I’ve realized that the heart and soul of the whole idea of unions is rooted in the concept of “collectivism.” In other words, unions work “for the good of the collective.” Anytime you hear the word “collective,” you should get chill bumps. Anything that is “good for the collective” removes individualism from the equation.

For instance, think about the term “collective bargaining.” Under collective bargaining, the contract formed by the union with the company binds all the union workers under that umbrella. What if some of the benefits, such as health insurance choices, are not the best option for a particular employee ? Too bad. So sad. That employee is stuck with them. Bye, bye individuality and individual liberty and freedom. By joining the union, you basically forfeit your right to negotiate your own wage and benefits with the company. You give up your right to get what’s best for you and your family.

Here’s something else to think about that many don’t realize. Most Americans have a negative view of communism, right ? We don’t want it here in our country, and for many decades, we have fought to prevent communism’s spread into other countries. The thing is that this whole idea of “the good of the collective” is the very heart and soul of communism. Communism removes individuality from all parts of society and the collective becomes the focus. So, we know most Americans disapprove of communism, right ? So, then why do so many of them rely on the communist-born idea of collectivism in regards to their livelihood ? It baffles me.

Lastly, folks who have read my blog for any length of time know that I am a firearms enthusiast. I hunt, target shoot, and carry guns for self-defense. Firearms are as much a part of my every day life as food and clothing. I am often amazed by the anti-gunners who claim that guns need to be banned because “guns kill people.” The fact is that is not true. A gun is basically a paperweight until a human picks it up. Evil people kill people. If you follow the gun banners logic, then we need to ban cars, knives, baseball bats, ropes, fatty foods, and other things that lead to humans dying, too.

Additionally, if you follow that logic, then I propose that perhaps it is time to ban unions, too. Afterall, a union killed the Twinkie, and the HoHo, and Wonder Bread, and ………