Oregon Public Broadcasting

325 workers at a paper mill in St. Helens learned Tuesday that they’re losing their jobs.

Idaho-based Boise, Incorporated, says tough economic times forced them to scale back mill operations, and lay people off.

Company vice president, Virginia Aulin, says the mill fell victim to weakness in the paper and packaging market.

Virginia Aulin: “The team at the St. Helens’ mill has been working for the last couple of years to try to make that mill viable. But unfortunately with declining product demand, combined with increasingly high input costs, it just became impossible to run the mill in its current configuration, and meet financial goals.” 

Aulin says the restructured mill will employ about 170 people.

Laid off salaried employees will get severance packages ranging from two weeks to six months of pay - based on salary and length of service.

Hourly workers are represented by the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers. So, the union will negotiate with company executives as to how the contract deals with layoffs.