Nabisco Layoffs and Chicago's Manufacturing Future

Layoffs of nearly 300 people at the Nabisco bakery on Chicago's Southwest Side take effect today. The smell of Oreos wafting through the air in Marquette Park was once something neighbors could simply enjoy. Now, those Oreos – and the jobs that go along with them – have become a call to action.

Nabisco looms large over Kedzie Avenue, south of 73rd Street. For Tony Briseño, who was born and raised in Chicago, the bakery represented opportunity.

“We want our jobs. We want them to stay here. And we want to be able to provide for our families,” Briseño said.

When Briseño got word in January that he was part of the first round of layoffs, it was difficult to take.

“I just recently got married last July, and I bought a house. I have kids. So I’m devastated,” Briseño said. “How am I going to pay my bills? The morale at the company – everybody’s just walking around like zombies, you know? They’re nervous, they’re scared. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

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