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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 2013, free trade agreements with the United
3States benefited the State of Illinois by accounting for nearly
454% of goods exported from the State, totaling approximately
5$35.7 billion; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2015, the City of Chicago lost nearly 2,000
7manufacturing jobs and the State of Illinois lost more than
87,000; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Mondelez International has almost 3,000 employees
10in the State of Illinois, who work at one of three different
11manufacturing facilities, its global headquarters office, or
12in sales/distribution at sites throughout the State; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The National Biscuit Company, which formally
14changed its corporate name to Nabisco, operates a bakery on
15Chicago's Southwest side at 7300 S. Kedzie Avenue, where some
16of the most popular food brands in America are made, such as
17Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies and Ritz and Premium crackers; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Philip Morris Companies, Inc. acquired Nabisco
19and merged it with Kraft Foods in 2001; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 2012, Kraft Foods split from Nabisco, creating

 

 

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1a separate parent company called Mondelez International for its
2snack food business, including the Nabisco operations at 7300
3S. Kedzie Avenue; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Mondelez International announced in July of 2015
5that it would be removing older, inefficient manufacturing
6lines from its plant on Kedzie Avenue, impacting almost 600 of
71,200 jobs; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Over 20 years ago in 1993, Nabisco, Inc., the
9previous owner of the Kedzie Avenue plant, cited much-needed
10upgrades as the reason for proposing an outsourcing of its
11plant; local authorities responded to Nabisco's concerns and
12provided support for the plant upgrades; the Department of
13Commerce and Community Affairs extended an enterprise zone to
14accommodate Nabisco with a multi-million dollar tax incentive
15package over the course of 10 years if the company invested in
16itself; the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and
17Development established a tax increment financing district to
18support investment in modernization of the plant within three
19years, and the acquisition and development of an adjacent
20property at 7600 S. Kedzie Avenue that could result in $35
21million dollars in tax savings; and
 
22    WHEREAS, In 2012, the City of Chicago's Department of
23Housing and Economic Development prematurely terminated the

 

 

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1designation of the 73rd and Kedzie Avenue tax increment
2financing district; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In July of 2015, Mondelez International announced
4plans to move the production lines currently at the Kedzie
5Avenue plant to the newly built state of the art facility in
6Salinas, Mexico; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The union workers at the Chicago Nabisco bakery
8have been producing high-quality baked goods for more than 50
9years and have dedicated decades of their lives to fuel the
10company's financial success; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Manufacturing jobs are needed to provide for
12adequate income for families, support for public services to
13keep our communities safe, effective education of our children,
14and additional employment opportunities; and
 
15    WHEREAS, A sound economic base, tied to good paying jobs,
16is necessary to create opportunities within our communities;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, Work created by companies doing business the State
19of Illinois are essential for the well-being of communities;
20and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois expects corporate partners
2to make an earnest effort to retain and promote future capital
3investment in the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6urge Mondelez International to identify ways to invest in its
7plants across the State; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That we encourage Mondelez International and the
9members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain
10Millers Local 300, International Association of Machinists and
11Aerospace Workers District 8, and the International Union of
12Operating Engineers Local 399 to find ways to maintain their
13relationship and maintain jobs within the State of Illinois and
14engage in discussions with the immediate communities that they
15operate in; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17delivered to Mondelez International; Bakery, Confectionery,
18Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 300; International
19Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 8; and
20the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399.