FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AFTER NEARLY 100 YEARS, A WISCONSIN INSTITUTION AND HOUSEHOLD NAME WILL CLOSE ITS MADISON FACILITY, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF 1,000 JOBS. MIDWEEK KRAFT HEINZ ANNOUNCED THE OSCAR MAYER PLANT AND CORPORATE OFFICES ON MADISON’S NEAR EAST SIDE WILL SHUT DOWN IN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 MONTHS. 700 PLANT WORKER POSITIONS WILL BE LOST, 300 ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS WILL EITHER BE ELIMINATED OR RELOCATED TO CHICAGO. THE PLANT’S MEAT PROCESSING PRODUCTION WILL MOVE TO A FACILITY IN DAVENPORT, IOWA. MADISON MAYOR PAUL SOGLIN SAID THE CLOSING GOES FAR BEYOND THE CITY’S STORIED FAMILY CONNECTION TO THE BUSINESS.

PAUL SOGLIN:

OUR MAIN FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS THE WORKERS, THEIR EMPLOYEES AND RELATED BUSINESSES THAT ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE VITALITY OF THIS OPERATION, OF THE PLANT. THE IMPACT ON MADISON AND THE METRO AREA HAS GOT TO BE IN THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.