In direct response to market conditions, Georgia Pacific on Nov. 16 furloughed 15 labor pool employees at its Wauna paper mill on the eastern edge of Clatsop County.
Kristi Ward, assistant communications manager, told the Coast River Business Journal that it was the first involuntary layoffs at the mill in "at least several years."
The mill, which produces paper towels, bath tissue and napkins under several national brand names, employs approximately 1,000 workers. About 35 percent of its workforce resides in Clatsop County, Ward said.
She described the furloughs as being the result of "changing market needs" and added that the layoffs were unexpected.
"With the economic conditions as they are, we are very focused on our customers’ changing needs," Ward told CRBJ. "Our production schedules are always being evaluated."
She said the layoffs will remain in effect until market conditions improve.
Although she declined to give specifics as to the status of orders for products produced at the Wauna mill, Ward acknowledged that the factory recently has "curtailed limited assets." She declined to be more specific.
Until recently, the mill has operated at capacity during the more than one-year-old recession, she said.
All of the furloughed workers are part of the mill’s "labor pool," which means they are assigned to fill vacancies throughout the facility as needed, Ward said.
Those affected by the layoffs are members of United Steel Workers Local 1097. Under the mill’s contract with the union, the workers are eligible for future recall during the next 12 months.
Once mill officials decided layoffs were necessary, Ward said the company notified state employment officials, who will assist the affected workers in finding new jobs or provide retraining services.