Sen. Snowe pledges teamwork on Domtar

In a phone call Monday with Raymond Royer, president and CEO of Domtar Corp., Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, vowed “hand-in-glove teamwork” with the congressional delegation and Gov. John Baldacci to help workers who are losing their jobs because of the announced shutdown of Domtar’s papermaking operation in Baileyville, her office said.

Snowe said that as a member of the Senate Finance Committee she will analyze and assess future trade agreements to identify areas of global trade imbalances and inequities and take every step possible to correct laws that put U.S. companies and their employees at a competitive disadvantage in the world marketplace.

“We have had such a tremendous loss of manufacturing jobs in Maine and elsewhere,” Snowe told Royer, “and this devastating loss of good, high-paying jobs is why we need to do everything possible in Congress to address unfair trade practices.”

The phone call took place as Snowe seeks federal assistance for Domtar employees affected by the shutdown. Last week, the senator spoke to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to urge the federal agency to approve quickly Trade Adjustment Assistance for the workers.