NewPage Paper Machine Shutdown Leads to Layoffs

RUMFORD, ME—NewPage is indefinitely shutting down a coated paper machine at its mill here, which will cause the company to lay off 120 of its 830 employees in February, the Sun Journal reported. The move is being attributed to the continued year-over-year decline of coated shipments and significant increases in imports from Western Europe.

The machine in question is the mill's No. 12 paper machine, which produces coated paper that is used in catalogs and magazines. A NewPage spokesman told the newspaper that the mill produces about 550,000 tons of coated paper per year.

While only 25 people actually work on the No. 12 machine, the shutdown impacts various aspects of the entire mill. The personnel moves will be executed purely on seniority, per the labor agreement.