JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A nationwide bakery's union strike has brought one of America's iconic companies down, and 200 local jobs are going with it. Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown says, "You got a company that's liquidating today, 200 people who have lost their jobs. And it's sad because of the economy. It's still soft. It's still tough out here."
Hostess says the strike has left the company with little choice. "Our bakers union decided it wouldn't return to work. We couldn't keep our operations running and we had said we would be forced to liquidate if that were the case," says Hostess Spokesperson Lance Ignon. The company did just that. They will now be selling off all assists.
Ignon says he thinks there's value in the brand, but he's uncertain just how much of it will sell. "We'll certainly be trying to sell as many bakeries as we can, but the fact is many of these bakeries will never be bakeries again," he says.
He says that means the bakery jobs at those facilities will probably never be coming back. "A minority in the company decided to put the majority of the company out if work. And destroy an iconic company that has been around since 1930. Our hearts go out to all those people who will now be unemployed," he says.
There are 18,000 jobs nation-wide total that could be lost, and 200 locally.
Action News reached out to the workers union for comment, but haven't heard back. The people on the picket line are also not talking.
As for the iconic Twinkie, there are reports that the time-honored treat may survive. Hostess may be able to sell that brand name to another food producer.
