Job future uncertain for displaced millworkers

BREWER – Even though Eastern Pulp and Paper Corp. may be auctioned off later this month to a Massachusetts investment group or other bidders, the company’s displaced workers in Brewer still face a long road ahead.

“Under the best case scenario, it will be two months before anybody goes back to work” at Eastern Pulp’s Brewer mill, the former Eastern Fine Paper Co., according to Manley DeBeck, a laid-off millworker and Brewer city councilor.

DeBeck, one of the 240 Eastern workers who lost their jobs in January, said he’s worried that older displaced workers are having a hard time being rehired at other places because of their age.

“There is one thing that applies to the Brewer workers – the age factor,” he said. “We are an older mill with experienced workers that have some age on them. We are a little older, but we’re not ready yet to be thrown on the scrap pile.”

The Older Americans Act of 1965 makes this practice illegal.

The hope is that some of the displaced workers will get their jobs back at the plant if the mill is successfully auctioned on March 17.

Massachusetts-based Paper Acquisition Corp. has set the starting bid at $8.5 million to buy Lincoln Pulp and Paper Co. and the Brewer mill. Other interested buyers have until the March 17 auction date to submit better bids.

Paper Acquisitions has stated it intends to reopen the Brewer mill but if it isn’t reopened, DeBeck said, he’s unsure if he’ll find another comparable job.

“At age 57, is there anyone who’s going to want me?” DeBeck asked. “I’m real scared that one of the things they [employers] will look at will be my age. Everything’s fine until they find out how old you are. I’m afraid this is going to be a very serious problem.”

One area resident, who is enrolled in the Bangor CareerCenter’s Senior Community Service Employment Program, said older workers are at a disadvantage.

“Eastern Maine is a challenging job market for middle to upper labor force levels of even young and middle-aged job hunters,” said Carmel resident Leonard Harlow. “For older workers, it is a job market of double jeopardy.”

The good news is that all of the workers are eligible for trade adjustment assistance, which provides funds for retraining and further education, said Theresa Mudgett of the Training and Development Corp. in Bangor.

“There are quite a few funds available for workers,” she said. “A lot of the workers were electricians by trade at the mill but were not certified. We have funds to get these workers certified.”

These certifications will do much to enhance resumes, Mudgett said. She added that workers should be encouraged to sign up for programs.

“The odds are if the mills aren’t reopened, the people will be rehired two here, two there,” she said.

Mudgett said that without additional training, displaced workers could be at a disadvantage.