Could this be the end of Twinkies?
After 82 years, Hostess Brands announced Friday that, on the heels of a nationwide worker strike, it will be going out of business, closing its production plants and laying off about 18,500 employees nationwide.
The brand itself is expected to be sold.
Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, has stopped operations at its 33 factories and said its stores will remain open for several days to sell already packaged products, The Huffington Post reported.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January.
Thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last week after rejecting in September a contract offer that cut their wages and their benefits. The bakers union makes up about 30 percent of the company's workforce.
The company had warned employees that it would file a motion with U.S. Bankruptcy Court Friday seeking permission to shutter its operations and sell its brands if plants hadn't resumed normal operations by a Thursday evening deadline.
Should Hostess shut down because of the labor dispute? Are union workers right to stand their ground? And, what should happen to Hostess and the many brands they own? Tells us in the comments section below.