300 Hostess workers in Northeast Philly affected by bakery's closing

Hostess Brands asked a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close all its businesses nationwide, a move that would affect 18,500 employees. The company cited an ongoing labor dispute as the reason for its action.

About 300 employees of Northeast Philadelphia’s Hostess bakery are expected to lose their jobs as part of a company-wide liquidation plan.

Hostess Brands Inc. on Friday asked a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close its business and sell its assets, including its “iconic brands and facilities,” the Irving, Texas, based company said in a printed statement.

The financially failing company cited an ongoing labor strike by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union — which reportedly represents about 30 percent of its 18,500-member workforce — as the immediate cause of the liquidation. Hostess in January filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, its second bankruptcy reorganization in a decade.

The 82-year-old company is known for manufacturing Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, along with Wonder Bread, Drakes and Dolly Madison brand products. ••