‘Bumping’ plan in works at G-P Who will lose jobs not yet known

OLD TOWN – Who will actually keep their jobs at Georgia-Pacific Corp.’s Old Town mill is still up in the air, but company officials hope to have the list completed this week.

Approximately 300 people will remain employed at the mill, with most working in the pulp operations portion of the plant. Another 300 will be let go. G-P’s needs, seniority and certifications held by employees will be used to determine who will remain employed, according to the company.

“We have not finalized our bumping process yet,” said Debbi Taylor, manager of human resources for G-P’s Old Town mill. “We’re getting close. I think we should have that determined this week. I’m hoping to start recalling some people while we continue to figure things out.”

Until the list is complete, 60-day Workers Adjustment & Retraining Notification pay and severance pay is on standby.

“We are still determining who is going to be left on permanent layoff,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to get WARN payments and severance pay out as soon as possible.”

G-P company officials will meet with PACE Local 80 labor union leaders today in an effort to address the impact of the shutdown on union workers. Taylor said she hopes the numbers for the pay packages will be completed at the meeting.

Bangor Career Center, 45 Oak St., is holding three special orientations for laid-off mill workers, at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, April 17. The meetings will help workers get into the computerized job placement system, learn to write resumes and apply for jobs in addition to providing an introduction to other career center programs.

While workers start to plan for their future without G-P, company officials, the state and Rapid Response Group leaders are attempting to extend employee assistance through two grants.

The first grant is a National Emergency Grant. G-P’s former mill in Baileyville applied for more than $500,000 to help with displaced workers, according to Doug Beaulieu, the executive director of the local Workforce Investment Board for Aroostook and Washington counties. He said Baileyville used approximately $166,000.

Tanya Pereira, work-force development specialist for the Tri-county Workforce Investment Board, which encompasses Penobscot, Hancock and Piscataquis counties, said the state is trying to move $351,068 of these funds to be used in Old Town.

“When we applied for the [Baileyville] National Emergency Grant, we applied for site-specific funds,” said Pereira. “Sometimes it’s based on industry. The funds were site-specified, but what they’re doing is trying to do a modification grant to try and use the money in Old Town.”

Pereira said no plans have been approved. Beaulieu said he has heard nothing about moving the funding and added he is concerned about the money leaving Washington and Aroostook counties.

These NEG funds will be used to “jump-start” the process for helping the displaced Old Town workers. The state actually applies for the funding and has yet to do that.

“National Emergency Grants come into play to supplement the state funds to help assist displaced workers,” said Dave Lackey, communications director for Sen. Olympia Snowe. “Grants are done based on specific displaced workers. They’re triggered by a specific incident.”

Workers applied for the Trade Adjustment Assistance program after G-P shut down its two tissue-making machines on March 24 and required 60 employees to take either vacation time or unpaid time off. After G-P decided to curtail more of its tissue production on April 4, the initial grant was changed to include the 300 laid-off employees.

“We’re currently still in the application process for the TAA,” said Taylor. “That would extend their unemployment benefits and help with retraining.”

Snowe, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the TAA program, worked to update the program last year and in doing so expanded it to include health benefits.

“We believe they can be successful with the application,” said Lackey. “It provides some training help and insurance assistance. This is the first time COBRA health insurance has been made available for workers who have lost their jobs.”

The displaced employees are covered by G-P insurance through the end of June. To continue health coverage after that, employees must sign up for and pay COBRA insurance costs until they are picked up by another employer’s insurance or private insurance.

Under a provision written by Snowe, 70 percent of the COBRA costs would be paid for by the TAA, if approved, for the period of retraining or unemployment.

Obtaining the TAA program is also based on whether the plant was affected by foreign competition.