Failed talks with union spells end to Twinkie-maker Hostess

(Reuters) - Hostess Brands Inc will proceed with a plan to go out of business after the maker of Twinkie snack cakes said last-minute talks with striking workers broke down on Tuesday.

Hostess and its striking bakers union were pressed by New York Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain into mediation to try to end the walkout and save the company and its 18,500 jobs. Drain acted as a mediator during the private talks.

Hostess, which also makes Wonder Bread and Drake's cakes, will ask Drain to approve a plan to begin a piece-meal lidquidation of the 82-year-old company. It has said that its operations were crippled by the bakers' strike and that winding down is the best way to preserve its dwindling cash.

Hostess plans no further comment prior to an 11 a.m. ET hearing on Wednesday.

A representative of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), which went on strike November 9, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ken Hall, the general secretary of the Teamsters, Hostess' largest union expressed disappointment at the failed talks. The Teamsters had accepted an 8 percent cut in wages in an attempt to save the company.

"This is a tragic outcome and our thoughts and prayers go out to all Teamster Hostess members and all Hostess employees," Hall said in a statement.

read more: Failed mediation spells end for Hostess