NOVEMBER 17, 2023 — PLANT SHUTDOWN IN PERRY, FLORIDA; 525 EMPLOYEES IMPACTED
The company has announced that it has closed its Foley Cellulose Facility in Perry, Florida, which produces specialty and fluff, on November 17, 2023.
What wasn’t mentioned was that the plant was estimated to provide "more than a quarter of the tax base for Taylor County and supported nearly 2,000 community jobs until it was shut down."
The company’s statement…
September 18, 2023
Perry, Fla. – Georgia-Pacific employees at the Foley Cellulose mill in Perry, Florida, were informed today that Georgia-Pacific plans to permanently close the facility.
Various factors influenced this difficult decision. Ultimately, GP does not believe that the mill can competitively serve its customers in the long term despite the significant investments and commitment by GP Cellulose since the site was acquired in 2013. This is a strategic decision that was made prior to Hurricane Idalia and is not a reflection of the hard work and effort of the Foley team.
All the approximately 525 jobs at the mill will be impacted by this closure. Production will continue for a limited time as the site works to fulfill as many customer commitments as possible. The mill plans a safe and orderly shutdown.
Georgia-Pacific’s focus in the coming weeks and months is to continue to safely operate while supporting our employees during the transition.
Georgia-Pacific thanks its employees at Foley for their hard work and commitment and will work with them to provide access to local support agencies and job placement resources, including available opportunities within Georgia-Pacific or other Koch companies.
FEBRUARY 4, 2023 — CLOSURE OF QUANAH/ACME, TEXAS GYPSUM PLANT WITH 166 LAYOFFS
Georgia-Pacific has announced that it will close its gypsum plant near Quanah, Texas on March 1, 2023, and lay off 166 employees.
David Neal, President of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum noted, “Georgia-Pacific thanks all the employees who have worked at the Quanah facility throughout its history. Their contributions, dedication, and hard work have kept this facility running strong for many years and we sincerely appreciate them all. We understand the impact this will have on employees and the community.”
“Since the original announcement to retire the facility, we have collaborated with employees to enhance their careers by providing free college tuition, and to date, 44 employees have taken advantage of either in-classroom or online courses for various technical and skilled training education. Additionally, employees will have the opportunity to transfer to other Georgia-Pacific or its affiliates’ facilities during this transition. “We have worked closely with the Hardeman County Commissioner’s Court and the Economic Development Board to strengthen the area’s ability to enhance and recruit businesses by investing in the development of the Quanah Tourism and Community Center. We are proud to be part of this initiative that ultimately promotes economic growth within the area for many years to come.”
JANUARY 26, 2021 — GEORGIA-PACIFIC DIXIE PLANT SHUTDOWN WITH 190 LAYOFFS
The company has announced the shutdown of its DixieCup manufacturing facility located in Easton, Pennsylvania, citing the impact of the global pandemic, which affected entertaining, travel, and the use of portable throw-away beverage containers.
A company spokesperson noted, “At the end of the day, it was a strategic decision.” Our employees are outstanding; it has nothing to do with how they operate and do their work.”
JUNE 24, 2020 — 150 LAYOFFS AT THE FOLEY CELLULOSE MILL IN PERRY, FLORIDA
The company has announced that it will idle two production lines at the Foley Cellulose Mill in Perry, Florida which produces pine-tree specialty fibers used in fabrics and other products.
The scale-back will affect 150 employees and will commence on July 2, 2020. The decision was driven by a reduction in product demand, primarily as an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a company spokesperson, “This was a very difficult decision to make. We are working to minimize the impact to our employees. ”We are confident that the economy is going to rebound at some point in the future, we just don’t know when.”
JUNE 4, 2019 LAYOFFS AND CLOSURES IN CROSSETT, ARKANSAS, HOPE ARKANSAS, AND MONROEVILLE, ALABAMA.
In a company statement, “Georgia-Pacific announced today that it is shutting down the equipment and processes supporting the bleached board operations at its Crossett, Arkansas, facility as of October 2019. This decision was based on an assessment of the mill’s ability to compete effectively in the bleached board market. “
“As a result, the company will permanently shut down the bleached board machines, as well as the extrusion plant, woodyard, pulp mill, and a significant portion of the energy complex at the Crossett mill. The company also in July will shut down one of the mill’s older tissue machines that doesn’t support the long-term competitiveness of the tissue business.”
“Approximately 530 jobs at the facility will ultimately be impacted by these closures. About 25 business and sales jobs also will be affected by this decision.”
In addition, the company announced today that it will close two particleboard facilities in Hope, Arkansas, and Monroeville, Alabama, over the next couple of months and will not rebuild its Thomson, Georgia, facility, which experienced a catastrophic fire last week. Approximately 100 employees at each facility will be impacted. Georgia-Pacific’s particleboard production in Diboll, Texas, will remain in operation.”
APRIL 12, 2019 COOS BAY, OREGON LUMBER MILL TO CLOSE
The company has announced the closure of its Coos Bay, Oregon lumber and lay off 111 employees.
The decision was driven by Asian competition for logs harvested in Oregon and a logistics burden imposed by the closure of the Coos Bay swing railroad bridge.
A company spokesman noted, “It is an absolutely terrible thing to have to do. At the same time, you can’t keep operating if you’re losing money at the site.”
JANUARY 11, 2019 ANOTHER PAPER MILL, ANOTHER 700 EMPLOYEES
According to a spokesperson, Georgia-Pacific will be closing its Port Hudson, Louisiana facility and laying off approximately 700 workers. The company will permanently shut down all paper machines, as well as its wood yard and pulp mill. The decision was driven by a decline in the copy paper market as companies reduce their copying and activities in favor of electronic files. The company has said that they will be leaving the “communications paper business.”
NOVEMBER 21, 2017 — Original post…
Up to 300 employees will lose their jobs as paper manufacturer Georgia-Pacific reduces operations of its Camas, Washington mill. The cause of the downsizing is being disputed.
The company cites reduced demand for its office paper in the face of increasing computerization and the employees union, the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, claims that demand remains high, but lower-cost imports from Asia are the real reason. It should come as no surprise that the paper industry is struggling and there is a spate of plant closures, downsizings, and employee layoffs.
“Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading makers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals. If you’re a consumer, you may recognize our household brands, such as Brawny® paper towels, Quilted Northern® bath tissue, and Dixie® cups and tableware.”
The mill, established in 1885, has seen employees reduced from approximately 2,400 in the 80s to about 120-140 after this round of layoffs. Georgia-Pacific is a subsidiary of Koch Industries. Georgia-Pacific’s tagline, “Great Products Made By Great People” appears to have been restructured into “Great Products Made By Fewer People.”
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?