NOVEMBER 11, 2024 — 674 EMPLOYEES IN GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA
The company’s pulp production mill in Georgetown, South Carolina, will close by the end of the year, eliminating nearly 674 jobs, including 526 hourly employees and 148 salaried workers.
Pulpmill Manager Bernie Chascin noted, "This decision is especially difficult because of the impact on hard-working employees, their families, and the surrounding communities.
OCTOBER 22, 2024 — PLANT CLOSURES, HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEES TARGETED
Following the recent layoff of 650 employees, the company has confirmed hundreds of new layoffs related to facility closures in Rockford, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Statesville, North Carolina, and Cleveland, Tennessee, as part of its “transformational journey” to become more profitable.
A company spokesperson noted, “A critical step in this journey is to organize our teams and resources to create the most value for customers and shareholders. As a result, we made the difficult decision to cease operations at the four sites. The decision to close these facilities was difficult. Still, these actions will allow us to shift resources and increase our investments in facilities where we can best serve our customers through improved quality, reliability, and service delivery.”
OCTOBER 16, 2024 — 650 EMPLOYEES TARGETED IN MEMPHIS
The company has announced plans to layoff 650 employees, including 400 in Memphis., Tennessee.
According to a company spokesperson, "International Paper is undergoing a transformational journey to become a stronger, more profitable, sustainable packaging solutions company. A critical step in this journey is to organize our teams and resources to create the most value for customers and shareholders."
NOVEMBER 3, 2023 — Original post…
Memphis, Tennessee-based International Paper, a producer of packaging, pulp, and other fiber-based products, has announced a strategic, operational realignment that will impact multi-state operations.
The company will permanently close its Orange, Texas mill and permanently cease production on pulp machines in Riegelwood, North Carolina, and Pensacola, Florida, to "further strengthen and optimize its manufacturing system to meet customers' needs."
The operational changes will impact 900 employees. The Texas mill closure will occur in stages and finish by the end of 2023, affecting 565 employees. The Florida mill has been idle since August, and its permanent shutdown will affect 100 employees. The North Carolina fluff mill will cease production by the end of this year, affecting 200 employees.
According to Chairman and CEO Mark Sutton, "Decisions like these are extremely difficult because of the impact on our employees, their families, and the communities in which we operate. We are grateful to our employees in Orange, Riegelwood, and Pensacola for their significant contributions to the company over the years. We are committed to providing severance benefits, outplacement assistance, and more to help employees during this time.
We believe strongly in the attractive, long-term fundamentals of our businesses, and these actions further strengthen our competitive platform. Our optimized mill system, with its broad capabilities, gives us the flexibility to meet our customers' needs today and in the future."
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
