Verso Makes 120 Layoffs At Jay Mill Permanent

Verso Corporation announced yesterday that it will not bring back 120 employees who were laid off earlier this year.

The layoffs were the result of Verso's shut down of the Number 3 paper machine at the Androscoggin Mill. In November, company officials called it a temporary layoff that would be reversed if the demand in the market went up. The move reduced the coated paper production capacity at the mill by about 200,000 tons.

On Tuesday, Verso Corp. posted a media release on the company's website stating that the layoffs are now permanent and the No. 3 machine will not be restarted. Impacted employees will be given severance packages and the company's human resources team will begin scheduling meetings to provide them support and information.

Verso's Chief Executive Officer Chris DeSantis said in the release, " Although the footprint of the Androscoggin Mill is getting smaller, we continue to take steps to position the facility as a leading producer for the growing specialty papers market." He went on to thank the affected employees for their service to the company and wish them well in the future.