Louisiana paper mill to close, lay off 450 workers

Some 450 employees of a Natchitoches Parish paper mill will lose their jobs by the end of April after their parent company announced the facility’s pending closure Thursday.

International Paper is shutting down its Red River Mill in Campti that makes containerboard, as well as a recycling plant in Phoenix, a box-making plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and sheet feeder facility in St. Louis.

Across the company, 495 hourly positions and 179 salaried jobs are being eliminated, according to a news release.

Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission announced in a joint statement Friday they will work together to address the Red River Mill closure. Orientation sessions will be scheduled in the near future to help dislocated workers find new employment quickly, a statement from the agencies said. 

“We understand that right now people are feeling uncertain about their future. Please be assured that help is on its way.” LWC Secretary Susana Schowen said in the statement.    

State Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, told KSLA-TV that International Paper told him most of the employees being let go in Campti will be offered jobs at its facility in Mansfield, which also makes containerboard. The senator said the number of employees being let go could lead to local school closures, as families are forced to relocate to find work. 

“I’ve been on the phone with loggers and foresters all day,” Seabaugh said. “This is a big ripple effect.”

International Paper, considered the largest producer of paper products in the world, also operates facilities in Bogalusa, Lafayette, Shreveport and Springhill.