Lagana, Swain, Tully 'Condemn' Fair Lawn Nabisco Closing

FAIR LAWN, NJ — New Jersey officials have quickly condemned the decision to shutter the Fair Lawn Nabisco plant.

Mondelez, which produces a collection of legacy snacking brands as subsidiaries, including the Oreos made in Fair Lawn, will shutter the operation by the end of 2021. Cookie production at the plant will end sometime this summer, company officials announced. Read more: Nabisco Plant In Fair Lawn To Close In 2021

Senator Joseph Lagana, Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, and Assemblyman Chris Tully released a statement Saturday voicing strong opposition to the move, while offering solidarity with employees.

"Thousands of North Jersey residents made a good living working there. Those jobs, which have supported families from District 38 and the surrounding area, are being lost due to corporate greed," they said. "We condemn the choice to cut ties with a community that so proudly supported and contributed to the success of Mondelez/Nabisco."

Operations at the Fair Lawn site — as well as a site in Atlanta — will end as soon as this summer, senior director of corporate and government affairs North America Laurie Guzzinati told Patch Friday.

One site in Richmond, Virginia, will remain the east coast hub of operations for the brand, and will take over the Oreo production currently being done in Fair Lawn.

The move is part of an effort to consolidate manufacturing operations to three sites across the country in what the company is calling "strategically-located owned-and-operated bakeries."

It will also cost approximately 600 people their jobs, Fair Lawn Mayor Kurt Peluso estimates.

Gov. Phil Murphy wasn't pleased with the news, he said during a Friday news conference.

"Not happy about this whatsoever, and I don't like the way they're doing it" said Murphy, noting that "hundreds" of union-represented workers will be impacted by the closing.

Lagana, Swain and Tully also announced their displeasure with the decision-making process.

"During our strong advocacy and the work of many others, the decision to leave was clearly made well in advance of talks with members of the community under the pretense of an ongoing discussion. Mondelez's announcement has turned the lives of so many upside down and we share the absolute outrage and disgust in this decision," they said.

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