By the time this appears, the Hostess Twinkies strike may be settled. Or… it will not be settled. And the company may be kaput.

In case you have missed it, the Twinkies story is simple. The company cannot afford to pay its workers all the pay and benefits the unions have negotiated. They cannot afford to pay the money and benefits the unions demand.

The company has been through Chapter 11. Twice in ten years. It said it cannot pay the medical and pension costs as demanded by unions. Those costs have been climbing. Sounds a bit like the auto companies, eh?

Over 18,000 workers will be out of their jobs. Thirty-three factories will close. Also losing out will be delivery drivers, companies that provide services to the factories, etc.

The head of the AFL-CIO blamed management, of course. He blamed crony capitalism. Although there was zero evidence of such. He suggested the owners would profit by the collapse. Right.

You may love unions. You may hate them. Wherever you stand, a few items ought to be obvious. One is that the company could not afford the union’s demands.