Brokaw Paper Mill (Wisconsin) Closing; Approximately 500 to Be Laid Off

This layoff notice from a local Wisconsin radio station was about as basic and unempathetic as any I've seen yet:

The layoffs have started at the Brokaw Paper Mill.

Wausau Paper laid off 310 employees today. The workers are directly involved in the paper manufacturing process. The actual paper-making at the mill came to an end earlier this week.

About 125 workers remain at the mill. They’ll cut and assemble the paper that was made during the last production run. They will be laid off too when their work is done. Only a handful will be employed through March to shut down and disassemble the mill’s machinery.

Wausau Paper completed the sale of its color paper division to Neenah Paper last month. The company announced in December that the Brokaw mill would be shut down. All operations at the mill will end in March.

And that was it. Amazing how 500 people can be cast out into this cold, hard economy with so little fanfare.


Bonus: "So many changes...so many lies"