90 workers return to Baileyville mill

BAILEYVILLE – The last of about 90 employees at the local Domtar mill who were idled last month have returned to work, a company official said Wednesday.

Scott Beal, a Domtar spokesman, said the mill’s paper machine was fired up again last week after maintenance needs and a market-related downturn prompted company officials to shut the machine down temporarily on April 16. The cut-size machine, which turns large rolls of paper into 81/2-by-11-inch sheets, was switched back on the day after Memorial Day after having been turned off April 5.

“We brought the last crews back yesterday,” Beal said.

It was the second time the paper machine was shut down this year. The first time was in March. A slump in market demand also prompted Domtar to cut back on the mill’s production between November and January.

The mill, which dates to 1906, has about 500 workers.

Domtar is the third-largest producer of uncoated, free-sheet paper in North America. It is also a leading manufacturer of business papers, commercial printing and publication papers, and technical and specialty papers.