The Virginian-Pilot
©
International Paper Co.'s decision is final: The paper mill outside Franklin will close in the spring, eliminating 1,100 jobs, a spokesman said Monday night.
On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner met with local and business officials in Franklin. Afterward, he vowed to lobby the company to rethink the shutdown.
"I don't want to create any false hope, but we should have some effort to say, 'Is there any way we could encourage the company to reconsider this decision?' " Warner said.
That won't happen, International Paper spokesman Desmond Stills said in an e-mail. "The decision is to permanently close the Franklin mill," he wrote.
In the e-mail, Stills said International Paper "is not considering selling the property" immediately. In an interview, he did not say why the company, based in Memphis, Tenn., would keep the property, at least for the short term.
"At this point, it's just too early to speculate what might be a viable option for the property in the future," Stills said.
In the interview, he said he could not say whether the company might eventually hire people in a different capacity at the site.
Stills provided more details on the phased shutdown.
Of the four machines at the plant, one will close by Nov. 7, though some employees might work "past that date for several weeks," he said in the e-mail. Another machine will stop by the end of the year, and the remaining two will cease operation "by the spring of 2010."
Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com
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Offering a Plan B to workers before the close of The Paper Mill
Do anyone know who I can talk contact to set up a business presentation for all employees informing them a way to make residual income, gain stock options and have a stable financial income for their families while they are living and long gone. This economy has really put a huge burden on people and its sad when people's livelihoods are affected. Email me at chereeca@yahoo.com or I can be reached anytime at 757-358-3131
A factory in Franklin thrives
hmmmmmmm.
http://tidewaterlog.blogspot.com/2009/10/franklin-paperweight-factory-to-stay.html
from the horses mouth!
I am an employee of IP's Franklin facility. I would like to express my hate towards IP. Yeah, I know its business but people come first. The third quarter earnings came in today and they are up way up. IP franklin is a profitable mill and we make money for the company. I guess its just not enough. So screw you international pansies!
From the perspective of an IP worker's family...
Being the family of a rotating shift worker has not been easy. How many times did I have to say, "Shhhh, daddy's sleeping." Try making outdoor plans for that one weekend off per month only to have it rain the whole 5 days. Imagine not being able to be at your child's play, awards cermemony, recital, or game because you have no unplanned annual leave...that is unless you go without pay. Yes, my husband had to do that a few times--20% of your pay for that week for one day off. Don't even mention getting sick--no sick leave--again work while you're sick or stay home and go without pay. There were many sacrifices, not to mention the dangers of the job--the possibility of high pressure explosions, exposure to toxic chemicals, the risk of a chlorine leak. No more shift work for our family...maybe it's a good thing.
I agree
My heart breaks for Franklin as it is where I grew up and my family still lives there. My husband has worked for IP for 17 years and I worked there in the summer. It is not easy to raise a family with someone working a rotating shift. I relate to all you wrote...especially the "shhhh, Daddy's sleeping". Never mind the toll that rotating shift work has on someone's health and body. I am praying that this will be a positive change for our family even in the midst of all of the other devastation that the closure will bring because I know my husband would have never left despite the toll that working there took on him.
I wonder....
if rules and regulations effecting logging operations plays a part in all this? Remember, most nations do not have the environmental laws we have. Most companies here that depend on logging re-plant those areas they harvest, and there is always the back-and-forth when administrations change, and some laws/regs are thus changed. The most pronounced of those involve whether access roads should be allowed to be cut into many forests. Some don't want them at all, they want to maintain the pristine nature of the forest(s) in question. Others believe the roads should be cut precisely to protect the forest(s) if fire erupts, the roads will be vital for getting firefighters and equipment in to battle the flames. There's good points in both beliefs, but those kinds of questions have to take a toll on the companies involved at some point!
Renewal
Now's the time to start attracting the old time pensioners like myself
to Franklin. We bring fresh out-of-state cash into your territory, creating new jobs and stabilizing your economy. Take the Outer Banks,
for example. At one time, the only players on the golf courses (at reduced rates)were, for the most part, retirees. And, in the cold winter months, the traffic you were most likely to see on Rte 158 was feral cats
looking for shelter after scouring the trash bins at Seamark's in
Nags Head. You could fish any pier for $5. And real estate taxes were
low. Now, real estate taxes are still low, but golf prices quadrupled,
Rte 158 is a NASCAR raceway we take pains to avoid, and piers cost $10.
No need to build any high class, full shelf, super automated food markets. We prefer the easy going pace of towns like Manteo where
locals work and, week to week, faces remain the same. (I could go on
and on and on - but it's time for my nap.)
Big Government is the problem
Just look at Congress … runaway spending under Bush and now even more under Obama. Congress wants to pass healthcare and cap and tax. The cost of government is no longer sustainable. Our state is just as bad, doubling the budget under Warner and Kaine. The first article on this topic reported that the plant pays $44.5 million in state, local and property taxes each year. That’s more than $41,000.00 per employee. Companies are flocking overseas not because they do not care about the employees … they just need to make a profit. Brazil plants use far more robotics than the unions allow here. They also have cheaper energy in Brazil. Both reasons allow the plants to earn more profits. Greedy government has caused this plant to close and many more will follow if Congress and the state do not get a grip on its free spending tendencies.
Folks fail to understand
The majority of these hard working mill employees are from western Tidewater and North Carolina, Farming country. Many of these men and women grew up working on the farm and have a real work ethic instilled in them. These folks are the salt of the earth types who know what a hard days work really is. IP bought the competition (Union Camp) to close the mill. The demand for paper is still there. Paper includes boxes and coated paper like cigarett cartons, book covers, packaging stuff, more than just notebook paper or computer paper. The newly opened plant in Brazil is making paper, why open a new plant is the demand is down? It is not, but you can get cheaper labor in Brazil than here in the U.S.A. Union or not, these folks earned every nickel they got paid. An entire "specialized work force" out of work. No way, shape, form or fashion you can justify what IP has done other than pure and simple GREED. How much money is enough? And you continue to increase profits at what cost? Read the Tidewater News website to get the real feel for this.
It's amazing greed is what
It's amazing greed is what is costing many people to lose their jobs, and what is currently killing the people affected by the shutdown of the Mill. IP has nothing to gain but more profits for their top level management and the shareholders. Too bad the people affected can't take their latest decision to the airwave so their customers can know what type of company they're supporting. >Hint<