Business & Tech

Hostess Bakery to Close, More Than 300 to Lose Jobs

Maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread to lay off more than 18,000 workers.

More than 300 North Jersey workers will lose their jobs due to Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, Ring Dings, and Wonder Bread, going out of business.

The Texas-based company Friday asked a federal bankruptcy court’s permission to close down a week after its bakers union went on strike.

The company is in the process of liquidating and is shutting down all of its factories, said Tammy Taylor, a spokeswoman for Hostess Brands Inc. said Friday afternoon.

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The company said it would layoff its 320 workers at its Wayne bakery and 70 at an outlet store in Carlstadt. The layoffs would take effect July 3 and the facilities will be sold.

No one could be reached for comment at the Wayne bakery.

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Gov. Chris Christie attempted to avoid Twinkies jokes and declined to comment on the closing.

Workers were warned they could lose their jobs in May after the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The company employed more than 18,500 workers.

Hostess is shutting down three plants Monday as a result of a strike by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, the company announced in a statement issued Friday morning.

The strike “crippled the company’s ability to produce and deliver products at multiple facilities,” the statement read.

In addition to closing its 33 bakeries, Hostess Brands will sell its popular brands, including Drakes and Dolly Madison, which make iconic cake products such as Twinkies and Ding Dongs.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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