Hostess Seeks End to Court Sparring With Unions Over Sales

Hostess Brands Inc., the bankrupt maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, asked a judge to set March 21 as the cutoff date for workers to file back-pay claims and said it has no obligation to bargain with its former unions.

Hostess, previously subject to 372 collective-bargaining agreements, said in court papers filed today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York, that it now has “no continuing duty to bargain with” unions objecting to sale procedures. The company said its staff has been reduced to 255 people, including 20 union members.