(WORT) — Kraft Heinz is shuttering the Oscar Mayer headquarters in Madison severing a nearly century-long history with the city. Around 1,000 Oscar Mayer employees based in Madison will be out of a job within two years.

Kraft Heinz is the most recent of several food conglomerates to control the Oscar Mayer brand. This summer, billionaire investor Warren Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway helped orchestrate a merger between ketchup maker Heinz and food giant Kraft. The Madison plant is one of seven Oscar Mayer factories closing as a result of a $1.5 billion cost-cutting measure.

On Wednesday, local elected officials gathered in a show of solidarity for the hundreds of Oscar Mayer employees who will soon be without work. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin says assistance at all levels of government is being explored to help mitigate the economic fallout.

Dylan Brogan reports.