As someone who sells words by the book-full, I admire those who use them well. Newspaper headline writers have long been known for their witty and eye-catching phrases in big bold ink, designed to grab attention through concise wording.
This morning I spotted this one: Did Ding Dongs kill the Twinkie?
The headline is in reference to the announcement by Hostess that it would shut down operations and liquidate the company, in the face of a continuing baker’s union labor strike. If you’ve ever driven through the intersection of 11th and Sheridan in Tulsa, no doubt you’ve caught the aroma of fresh bread baking. If you’ve passed by recently, you will have spotted the striking workers holding out in a contract dispute with management.
I may be the ultimate flip-flopper on labor issues. It is one thing to look back on historical abuses by companies in dealing with their employees, and applaud the collective bargaining agreements obtained by unions. Honestly, though – the days of the American sweatshop filled with child-laborers are gone. There are exceptions, including a couple of local cases, but times have changed regarding the manufacturing world. Where my allegiance would have been to the early-day strikers in the past, these days I find myself wondering about the practical outcome of some labor decisions.
From the outside looking in, it would appear than many of today’s labor disputes are more about feathering nests than resolving dangerous practices in the work environment.
So – when the headline mentions Ding Dongs and Twinkies in the same sentence, one is a reference to the iconic twin cakes and the other slyly infers that a group that turns down an eight percent pay cut in favor of a one-hundred percent cut must not be thinking clearly.
Certainly, the baking giant’s demise (if it comes about) can’t be blamed entirely on one labor strike. The firm had only recently come out of bankruptcy reorganization. Somebody up in a cozy office is making mistakes too. On the other hand, if the operation is shut down because labor and management cannot agree on a contract, everyone loses.
I remembered a similar situation in southern Oklahoma years ago, when a lingering strike against a national manufacturer’s local plant ended with the closure of the facility and the transfer of the operations to a plant in another city. Common sense seemed to have taken a back seat then, much like it appears to have done in the Hostess strike. A Tulsa worker was quoted as shouting “Shut it down then!” when the 4pm deadline was reached on Thursday afternoon.
Apparently, they will.
Who will those workers picket when the ovens grow cold at 11th and Sheridan?
Likely, pride enters into the thinking process at some point. Holding out for the principle of the thing.
It may be that another company will acquire the Tulsa bakery and hire the workers as employees, but there is no assurance their job offers will be any greater than the contract offered by Hostess before liquidation.
Time will provide an answer to this morning’s headline about Ding Dongs and Twinkies, but in the meantime, I’m reminded of the French saying misattributed to Marie Antoinette:
“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche…”
Let them eat cake.
