Twinkies were cleared from store shelves and put up on eBay this past week when Hostess Brands, Inc. failed to mediate with its newly unemployed 18,500 workers.
The iconic American dessert will soon be a part of history now that the company has shut its plants down.
After a nationwide strike that was initiated by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM) on Nov. 9, Hostess agreed to a mediation.
“Forget the Twinkies, I’m just sad that so many people will be out of work,” said junior engineering major Olivia Desser.
According to the Hostess website, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved its motion on Nov. 21.
Desser said she thinks the bakers’ union should have focused more on coming to an agreement rather than putting so many jobs at risk.
During the mediation, the union pointed out that large raises were given to company executives last year even while they were headed towards bankruptcy, according to the Washington Post.
Founded in the late 1800s, Hostess grew to become a household name and a $2 billion company with over 570 bakery outlet stores in the United States.
Junior economics major Aaron Schwartz said that when he first heard the news, he couldn’t believe it.
Hostess closed three plants earlier last week and then shut down the remaining 33 on Nov. 16.
“Twinkies were a part of my childhood, so I was shocked to say the least,” said Schwartz.
Other popular Hostess products include Ho Ho’s, Ding Dongs and Donettes. They are sold at top merchandisers such as Target, Costco and Walmart.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the process of completely shutting down the company should take about a year.
For that last year, Hostess plans to keep about 3,200 employees to assist in the wind down, according to The Washington Post. Since its halt in operations last week, Hostess had been spending about $1 million a day in payroll with no income.