BREWER – Business, legislative and other leaders converged on Brewer Auditorium on Wednesday to form a transitional team for workers displaced when Eastern Fine Paper Co. closed its doors in January.

“We wanted to call this transitional meeting to bring all of our resources together,” said Gail Kelly, who sits on the Brewer City Council and is the regional representative for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.

When Eastern Fine’s doors closed in January, 240 workers were left without work. But this number doesn’t represent the true number of displaced workers, said Jim Dinardo of the Bangor CareerCenter.

“Most people don’t realize the layoffs include almost 350 workers,” he said. “We had 117 laid off in June [2003], and in 2000 we had another 40 let go.”

The goals of the transitional team include identifying the needs of the workers and the community, said Susan Moore, who represents U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud. Moore served on the transitional teams for the Great Northern Paper Co. closures in Millinocket and East Millinocket, and in Old Town for last year’s Georgia-Pacific Corp. layoffs.

“Each team in each area is different,” she said. “By calling this team together in Brewer, hopefully we can see what agencies have faced when dealing with workers, and what resources you have to offer.”

All these assets will be compiled into a handy resource book that workers can use to get assistance.

Those who gathered included representatives from Maine State Housing Authority, Penquis Community Action Program, Eastern Maine Development Corp., Bangor CareerCenter, St. Joseph Hospital, Penobscot Community Health Center, Bangor City Hall, the Maine AFL-CIO, the Training and Development Corp., and Women, Work and Community. A representative for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins also attended.