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Georgia-Pacific plans job cuts
(The Brunswick News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 22--Industries in Brunswick and the Golden Isles are feeling the crunch of the constricting economy.
Georgia-Pacific announced plans Thursday to cut production at the Brunswick Gypsum plant on East River and said layoffs are imminent, at least temporarily, at the G-P Cellulose plant on Turtle River.
At Brunswick Gypsum, the company will cease wallboard production by mid-January, a move that will eliminate 60 jobs. Twenty employees will remain at the facility to work in the plant's plaster operation.
G-P Cellulose at 1400 West Ninth St. also will reduce its workforce due to poor market conditions. Thirty jobs will be lost when the company temporarily shuts down one of its machines that manufactures pulp fluff over the Thanksgiving and Christmas periods.
Combined, the two facilities employ roughly 600 workers.
Randal Morris, public affairs manager for Georgia-Pacific, said the closure of the gypsum plant can't be helped.
"Ongoing market conditions and the continued slowing of construction have made it necessary for us to reduce our operations at the Brunswick Gypsum facility," he said.
Morris said the company hopes to re-hire the employees when the economy improves.
"We cannot predict what will happen with the market or when," he said. "We are not permanently closing the facility, so if the right situation presents itself we could re-start this mill."
No decisions have been made concerning severance packages for the employees who will lose their jobs, he said.
Despite problems at Georgia Pacific, industries in Glynn County are holding their own, for the most part and at least for now.
Nathan Sparks, executive director of the Brunswick-Glynn County Development Authority, said Friday that most industries in the area are managing to tread water.
"Our hearts go out to the families affected by the GP Gypsum announcement," Sparks said. "By the same token, we appreciate the tough market conditions that resulted in GP having to make such a difficult decision.
On a positive note, Sparks said several industries are hiring. He points to areas such as defense and food processing, which have proved resistant to instability in the economy.
"That's not to say that we don't have businesses in Glynn County facing significant challenges," he said. "As is the case with GP, any business that is supplying the home building industry -- and more recently any automotive-related supplier -- is confronting a very difficult market."
To see more of The Brunswick News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Brunswick News, Ga.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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