GNP extends shutdown of two paper mills

MILLINOCKET – A production shutdown originally scheduled to last 10 days at Great Northern Paper Inc.’s paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket is being extended until later this week.

Brian Stetson, GNP’s manager of governmental and environmental affairs, confirmed Monday that the company has postponed the production start-up which was originally scheduled for Monday.

“Both mills will be started up by the end of the week or sooner,” he said. “We continue to see an impact from the weak economy and strong foreign imports.”

Stetson said employees will be scheduled for work as soon as they are needed.

The production shutdown, which began on Dec. 27, affects most of the company’s 1,100 employees except for a small crew of about 80.

News of the extension spread quickly through these northern Penobscot County towns, whose existence has been dependent on Great Northern for more than 100 years. Many workers said they hope the mills will start up soon. “Everyone’s paycheck is at stake,” said one worker who asked not to be identified.

Some of the workers who were called back for the Monday morning production start-up said they were sent home at about 10:30 a.m. after supervisors told them the start-up had been delayed. “They told us the company intends to start all four paper machines in both mills by the end of this week,” said one man, who also asked not to be identified.

Lucien Deschaine, an international official representing the Paper, Allied Chemical and Energy Workers International Union, said there was a lot of speculation and anxiety.

“We are anticipating a start-up,” said Deschaine. “If it has been delayed, it has been delayed. The company hasn’t given us any indication of anything different than that. We are like everybody else; we are trying to get information from them on why the start-up was delayed today.”

Meanwhile, Millinocket Town Manager Gene Conlogue said the temporary shutdown at Great Northern’s two paper mills was an excellent example of elected leaders in Washington doing nothing to address the situation of imports.

“We are being killed by foreign imports that are either subsidized or are manufactured by people who are paid very low wages and who exploit the environment,” said Conlogue. “Until Washington understands it’s time to move on these issues and stops negotiating these one-sided trade agreements, these are the types of problems American citizens are going to continue to have. It is way beyond the time that Washington address the issues of working people and small businesses in this country.”

Conlogue said it appeared some Washington officials were more interested in “cozying up” to other countries around the world while American jobs were being sacrificed.

U.S. Rep.-elect Michael Michaud said he is very concerned about how foreign imports are killing manufacturing jobs in this country. “I believe in free trade, but it has to be fair trade,” he said. Michaud said he plans to work with members of Congress to review the country’s trade policies.

Weak markets, a shortage of orders and foreign paper imports resulted in several temporary paper machine shutdowns last year at Great Northern.

In July, GNP announced it was permanently shutting down two older paper machines at its Millinocket mill, which resulted in the loss of 200 jobs. One paper machine at the Millinocket mill – the No. 10 machine – has been down since Nov. 29, affecting about 60 employees. Another paper machine – No. 5 at Great Northern’s East Millinocket mill – has been down since Dec. 16, affecting about 90 workers.