Hostess strike could lead to closures

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Union employees of Hostess in Indianapolis and in other cities nationwide are on strike, and the CEO of the company says if they don't go back to work, he'll liquidate the entire company.

Hostess has declared bankruptcy twice in the past 8 eight years — most recently in January. Union workers gave concessions in 2005 and are being told to take them now. A spokesman for members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union told 24-Hour News 8 that liquidation is OK with them. .

Dennis Howard says the company has never lived up to its promises and the current owners are a private equity firm that wants to liquidate anyway.

"With the drastic cuts they're wanting, these people fear that if they had to live with that, these people couldn't make their house payments. They couldn't pay for their kids’ college and the car payments. They're asking for something that these folks don't have," said Howard.

Of the nearly 900 Hostess employees in Indiana, about 435 are members of the Bakery union. Just over 200 of those work at the Indianapolis plant.

As the strike continues in Columbus, police have been called to the Dolly Madison plant six times for various disturbances, 24-Hour News 8’s news partner, The Republic , reports. Police were called for one incident involving a socket being thrown through the rear window of a manager’s car.