Rumors of massive layoffs at St. Helens paper mill not true

Boise Inc. representative says mill will close one line for two days next week, and that shut down should have 'no major impact' on workers

By Kelly Moyer

The South County Spotlight, Oct 3, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Rumors of a massive layoff at the Boise Inc. pulp and paper mill in St. Helens are false, says company spokeswoman Diane Dillard.

“We are shutting down our No. 1 paper machine for two days for lack of orders,” Dillard said Friday. “But one of those days was a planned maintenance outage, so the machine is only going to be down one extra day.”

The two-day shutdown, which will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7-8, will affect between 10 and 16 of the mill’s 590 employees, Dillard said.

The shutdown comes at a time when worries about the economy, both national and local, are running high and just three weeks after the nearby Boise Cascade veneer mill closed its doors for good.

Notice of the two-day shutdown went out Friday morning and some crews were notified a day earlier, Dillard said. “We were definitely trying to minimize the impact by giving notification,” Dillard said. “This shouldn’t have a major impact … and some workers may not lose any time if they schedule a floating holiday.”