With the plant idled right now in the midst of Chrysler's bankruptcy filing, it was a quiet scene there Tuesday night but 23 News did speak with several workers by phone.

Most didn't know about the news of 992 layoffs so it was naturally hard to swallow. "You're never really prepared for something like this. It's scary," says Chrysler worker Maria Medina. Chrysler's calling these 992 job cuts an indefinite layoff, taking effect July 27th of this year.

We asked a company spokeswoman exactly how long 'indefinite' meant and she couldn't say. She did say, however, that this is the result of moving to a traditional one-shift operation here.

Right now, they have first and second shifts rotating every other week. The spokeswoman says the company needs to change this to operate more efficiently as Chrysler goes through bankruptcy proceedings. We're told layoffs will be determined by seniority and that buyout packages are available through Tuesday, May 26th.

We also talked to some community members, concerned about a big hit to the Belvidere-Boone County economy. "It's going to be a lot more people without work. A lot more stores, businesses closing down because nobody works right now," says Adrian Banuelos of Poplar Grove.

"It's going to impact my restaurant because we had the three rushes: breakfast, dinner and lunch," says Tony Martinez of Belvidere. Martinez is a manager at a nearby McDonald's and says he has many Chrysler regulars from those rushes.

This news comes on the heels of a union vote approving contract concessions to avoid layoffs. We tried to contact union leadership but they did not return our calls. As for specifics on the buyout package, it's 75-thousand dollars cash, a 25-thousand-dollar voucher toward a Chrysler vehicle and one year of health care. There's no word yet about potential transfers for the laid off workers.