Come July, nearly 200 people will be out of work as a storied St. Paul recycling facility closes permanently.
Smurfit WestRock, a global packaging company, announced Wednesday that it will lay off roughly 189 employees in the permanent closure of its St. Paul coated recycled board mill at 2250 Wabash Ave., off Interstate 94 and Minnesota 280, according to a notice filed with the state.
Layoffs are expected to occur June 30 with affected positions including, but not limited to, chemical attendant, paper tester, refiner operator, loader, electricians, managers and supervisors, according to the notice.
Of the employees affected, some are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW Local 110), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE Local 70) and the United Steelworker of America (USW Local 264).
Bumping rights will follow applicable collective bargaining agreements and there are no trade implications at this time, per the notice.
In addition to the St. Paul facility, the company will discontinue production at its containerboard mill in Texas and permanently close two converting facilities in Germany totaling some 650 job losses, according to a company news release.
“While closing facilities is never an easy decision, it is based on a realistic expectation of current and future capacity needs, operating costs and an unrelenting focus on improving our business,” said Tony Smurfit, president and group chief executive officer of Smurfit WestRock, in the release.
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