Twinkie maker Hostess Brands to shut down

Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Wonder bread and Twinkies, said Friday that it will shut down and liquidate after a strike by members of its bakery workers’ union “crippled” the company’s operations.

“We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” Chief Executive Officer Gregory F. Rayburn said in a statement.

“Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.”

The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last Friday after a bankruptcy judge in White Plains, N.Y., imposed contract concessions that 92 percent of the union’s workers rejected.

Hostess closed three of its 36 plants permanently Monday, blaming the strike.

Hostess said it determined Thursday night that not enough employees had returned to work to restore normal operations. The wind-down will close the remaining 33 bakeries and 565 distribution centers, Hostess said.

See what local Hostess outlet workers and customers have to say here.

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