In Savannah, Georgia, employees at International Paper are expressing their feelings as news circulates about the upcoming closure of local mills, which will leave them without jobs by the end of next month.
One employee spoke with on the condition of anonymity about the rocky road ahead for the more than 1,000 people who work at the IP mills.
One employee described an early morning email from the International Paper internal network, IP net, inviting available mill workers to an 8:30 a.m. meeting in HR’s conference room. Although the employee couldn’t attend, they learned of the closure just 30 minutes after the email, as an article was shared before the meeting concluded.
The IP employee said he wasn’t the only one who found out about the closure from news media instead of his employer, International Paper.
The employee expressed skepticism about how recently corporate decided to shut down, suspecting that this decision was made months ago. They believe more proactive measures could have been taken to soften the economic blow on the Savannah community.
Savannah and Chatham County government officials are now looking for ways to absorb hundreds of people in need of work.
Chester Ellis, the Chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, highlighted the challenge of finding equally lucrative opportunities for displaced workers. He pointed out the financial repercussions of a salary drop, using the example of someone earning $35 an hour at International Paper potentially having to settle for $22 elsewhere, impacting their mortgage, rent, and daily expenses.
Though, some employees said finding comparable positions may be a challenge.
The IP employee noted the scarcity of comparable jobs in Savannah, where even the training wage at International Paper was $25 an hour, considered life-altering compensation. They remarked on the rare opportunities afforded by the company, opportunities that are now lost, comparing it to needing advanced degrees for similar pay elsewhere, stating that no other job in Savannah matched what International Paper provided.
Mill employees said they’ve been told IP will provide severance but only for people who’ve been with the company longer than a year.
