BUCKSPORT — Some came out with grim faces while others smiled and stopped to shake hands and chat with friends about days gone by. But all millworkers who filed out of the Verso Paper mill Wednesday got applause from a crowd of more than 100 people who gathered at the main gate to mark the final […]
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Posted inBusiness, Maine
Union sues Verso, AIM in effort to block sale of Bucksport mill
BUCKSPORT — A local chapter of a union on Monday sued the owner of the Verso Paper mill and the scrap metal recycling firm buying the now idled facility in an effort to block the sale. Local Lodge 1821 of the International Association of Machinists filed the complaint Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor. […]
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Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
LePage opposes sale, dismantling of mill in Bucksport; weighing options to intervene
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s administration said Wednesday that he’s concerned about the proposed sale of a Maine paper mill to a Canadian scrap metal recycler and is weighing state actions to ensure the mill remains intact. Verso Paper Corp. has reached a deal to sell its Bucksport mill to a subsidiary of Montreal-based American […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Verso workers being laid off from Bucksport mill will qualify for federal aid program
Bucksport’s mill closure has the potential of leaving hundreds without work. Many of the workers have families who depend on the mill as their main financial support. More than 500 workers who will lose their jobs when Verso Paper’s Bucksport mill closes in December will qualify for federal help with training, job search support or […]
Posted inMaine
University offers accelerated bachelor’s degree to millworkers affected by Verso closure
ORLAND — Ahead of the imminent closure of Verso’s paper mill in Bucksport, the University of Maine at Augusta announced a plan that could help some laid-off workers get on the path to a new career faster. UM-Augusta will work with Verso workers who already have an associate degree to figure out how to turn […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Out-of-state mills interested in hiring Verso Paper workers
BUCKSPORT — Paper mills outside of Maine are interested in hiring Verso Paper workers, whose jobs are expected to come to an end when the Bucksport paper mill closes its doors on Dec. 1. Flambeau River Papers in Wisconsin and Boise Paper in Minnesota have reached out to Dave Milan, economic development director for Bucksport, […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Bucksport mill closure hits home as families face uncertainties
BUCKSPORT — It’s been a tough year so far for the Raymond family in Bucksport. Days before the New Year, Geoff Raymond, 27, fell from a ladder and broke both of his feet. The father and husband was out of work until July. Then, just three months after returning to work, he found out he’d […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Cutler: Maine should buy Verso’s Bucksport energy plant if new paper mill operator not found
PORTLAND — Eliot Cutler has called and written to the CEO of Memphis-based Verso Paper, asking the company to sell its Bucksport mill to a buyer that would continue to make paper there. If not, the independent gubernatorial candidate said that as governor he would promote a plan to have the state buy Verso’s energy […]
Posted inMaine
Michaud unveils plan to help Maine’s paper industry as LePage seeks buyer for Bucksport mill
BREWER — Maine’s candidates for governor weighed in Thursday on the announced closure of the Verso mill in Bucksport by airing ideas for preserving the paper industry and criticizing the policies and inaction they said led to the economic bad news. Verso officials announced Wednesday afternoon that the local mill will shut down by the […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Verso mill in Bucksport to close by year’s end; 570 employees to lose jobs
UPDATE: Jay, Livermore Falls managers sympathize with Bucksport mill workers, community BUCKSPORT — In an announcement that caught many people off guard, Verso Paper officials indicated Wednesday afternoon the local mill will shut down by the end of this year, laying off about 570 employees. Verso president and CEO Dave Paterson said in a statement the […]