JAY — Verso Corp. shut down its No. 2 paper machine Saturday and previously shut down a pulp dryer, according to William “Bill” Cohen, director of mill communications and regional governmental affairs.
The company sent out “Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification” Act letters Oct. 20 to notify employees that they would lose their jobs in 60 days from that day, which would be in mid-December, Cohen said.
Workers will be cleaning up the machine, then mothballing it and doing general maintenance around the mill, he said.
Verso had announced Aug. 20 that it would shut down a pulp dryer, paper machine and permanently eliminate 300 jobs during the fourth quarter at its Androscoggin Mill.
The company also announced it would idle a Kentucky mill indefinitely and lay off 310 workers there.
The Maine Department of Labor’s Rapid Response Team set up a series of meetings with affected employees to inform them of available services and what they need to do to get them.
The U.S. Department of Labor had not made a decision on the petition for Trade Adjustment Assistance for Verso workers as of Monday.
It is unknown how many eligible hourly employees were accepted to take early retirement or how many workers will be laid off.
“This is not easy,” Cohen said, of people losing jobs. “This is hard because you feel emotions for the 300 people leaving and you have to try to remember there are 560 left. How do you get the mill reconfigured so it lasts long term.”
It’s hard for everyone knowing that their friends and family are going out the door, he said.
“It’s a mixed bag of emotions,” Cohen said.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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