Hostess opens more bakeries; Twinkie operations to start in May

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.

Crack open the Ho Hos and Twinkies you’ve been hoarding.

The new Hostess Brands said Monday that it would open bakeries in Indianapolis, Indiana and Illinois.

The announcement came a week after Hostess Brands said it planned to reopen and hire for its bakeries in Georgia and Kansas.

Hostess filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012. In November, a federal bankruptcy judge gave Hostess the go-ahead to wind down after failed negotiations with its striking bakers union.

But private equity groups Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. are bringing back the Ding Dongs. The firms, operating under Hostess Brands, paid $410 million for the snack line.

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Hostess Brands expects to begin hiring next month and have its products back on shelves by the end of July. In a statement, the company dispelled reports from last week that it would oppose labor unions and sought only non-union employees.

“This is not the case,” the company said. “Hostess respects union rights and will not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of union membership or union activities.”

At the time of the liquidation last year, the company blamed the union for a strike that “crippled its operations at a time when the company lacked the financial resources to survive a significant labor action.”

Workers who walked off their jobs accused Hostess of awarding pay increases to executives while pillaging employee benefits and wages.

[For the record, 3:09 p.m., April 29: A previous version of this post spelled Metropoulos & Co. as Metropolis & Co.]

ALSO:

PBR parent a lead bidder for Twinkies, other Hostess cake brands

Judge approves Hostess liquidation, 15,000 immediate layoffs

Twinkies’ demise proves the stupidity of U.S. labor relations

adolfo.flores@latimes.com | Follow Adolfo Flores on Twitter.