Hostess Bakers On Strike – Is This The End of the Twinkie?

First: A brief history. Twinkies were invented in Illinois in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Company. Realizing that several machines used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcake sat idle when they were out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled with banana cream, which he dubbed the Twinkie. He said he came up with the name when he saw a billboard in St. Louis for "Twinkle Toe Shoes". Now an American icon could be disappearing.

Twinkie maker Hostess Brands said yesterday that it could go into liquidation if its bakers continue striking in protest against a new contract imposed in bankruptcy court and close bakeries in Seattle, St. Louis and Cincinnati in response to the strike, cutting 627 jobs in total. The bakers’ strike, which began last week, is taking place at 24 of Hostess’ 36 plants, and could close more bakeries or even move into liquidation if workers don’t return to their jobs soon.