All in all, how are the former employees at International Paper doing?
I did an informal count this morning, based on the people that I know at the mill and the employers that I know, and the wonderful news is that well over 230 Franklin mill employees are either working on a new job or they’ve been accepted for a future job. The two major employers are Northrop Grumman Newport News – they stepped in from Day One – and International Paper itself, which has hired salaried and hourly employees for positions in their other facilities, primarily in the Southeast. If you start with 1,100 workers, that’s about 21 percent of the work force. In addition, you’ve got 26 or so businesses or organizations who have hired regionally, as well as for other locations on the East Coast. The companies seem to be very pleased with the work ethic and the teaming skills that employees bring with them. It’s not a “one size fits all.” Many of the people in the trades seem to be more easily employable than equipment operators and production-handling people. Some are still working
