In a statement released on Monday, confection company Hostess tried to combat the perception that it is anti-union, just days after the CEO of Hostess Brands told the Wall Street Journal that he does “not expect to be involved in the union going forward.”
Hostess announced on Monday that the company respects union rights and will not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of union membership or union activities.
The maker of Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs filed for bankruptcy in November, after a nationwide Bakers Union strike crippled production. In March, the Metropoulos family received approval from a bankruptcy court to acquire control of the Hostess Brand, including five plants.
The family of entrepreneurs is famous for reviving and reinventing brands such as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Chef Boyardee, Vlasic Pickles, and Bumblebee Tuna.
The new Hostess Brands company also announced on Monday that it will open bakeries in Indiana and Illinois, following announcements last week that the company would reopen bakeries in Georgia and Kansas to put the popular snack items back on the shelves by the end of July.
The bakeries will open in Indianapolis and Schiller Park, Illinois. Georgia, Kansas and Indiana have passed right-to-work laws, meaning that employers in those states cannot require union membership or the payment of union dues as a condition of employment. Illinois does not have a right-to-work law.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, C. Dean Metropoulos, the company’s CEO, said that he plans to invest $60 into the plants, and hopes to hire at least 1,500 workers.
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