Androscoggin Mill

The Androscoggin Mill is a pulp and paper mill in Jay, Maine. At its peak, 1,500 workers were employed in the facility. In February 2023, management announced that the mill would permanently close in March 2023.

Early history

Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965. The mill replaced the Riley Mill, which was located less than a mile away. It was built by International Paper, which was the largest paper company in the world at the time. It was named for the nearby Androscoggin River.[1]

1987–88 strike
Main article: 1987–1988 International Paper strike

In 1987–88, 1,200 mill workers and members of the United Paperworkers' International Union went on strike against the company, which was demanding wage reductions and other givebacks despite record profits. The mill eventually reopened with permanent replacements.[2]

Sales and closure

In 2006 International Paper sold this plant to Verso Holdings, LLC and 1,000 people worked in the mill at that time. In 2015, Verso laid off 300 workers. A year later, it filed for bankruptcy. In 2017, it laid off an additional 300 people and idled a machine. In April 2020, a wood pulp digester exploded, destroying the mill's pulp machines.[3] Pixelle Specialty Solutions, which had purchased the mill two months prior in February, decided not to rebuild. In September 2022, the company decided to permanently close the mill.[4] In February 2023, Pixelle announced that the mill would cease production no later than March 9, 2023.[5][6]

References
  1. Hoke, Tamara N. (2011). Jay. Arcadia Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7385-7487-5.
  2. Minchin, Timothy J. (1 February 2006). "'Labor's Empty Gun': Permanent Replacements and the International Paper Company Strike of 1987–88". Labor History. 47 (1): 21–42. doi:10.1080/00236560500385892. ISSN 0023-656X. S2CID 154622704.
  3. LaFlamme, Mark; Journal, Donna M. Perry Sun (15 April 2020). "Androscoggin Mill explosion in Jay causes no serious injuries". Lewiston Sun Journal.
  4. Perry, Donna M.; Journal, Judith Meyer Sun (20 September 2022). "Jay paper mill to close in early 2023". Lewiston Sun Journal.
  5. "Androscoggin Mill in Jay to end production in early March – Daily Bulldog". February 24, 2023.
  6. Morrison, Jacob (April 20, 2023). "An Explosion, Layoffs, and the End of Paper in Jay". In These Times.

44.5086°N 70.2401°W / 44.5086; -70.2401


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