Issue 8 G March 2008

Please copy Pulp Truth front and back and distribute it during non-work time using your Contract Action Teams, steward system or Rapid Response network. Be sure to leave copies in lunchrooms, break rooms, etc. We want to hear what’s happening in your workplace. Send your news to [email protected]

Contracts Reopening in March

At the beginning of every month we will list the con- Smurfit-Stone Cont., Memphis, TN, March 1 tracts that are reopening for that month. If your local Temple-Inland, Evansville, IN, March 1 is in bargaining and is not listed, please contact Wausau Paper, Middletown, OH, March 1 Lynne Baker at [email protected] to have your contract P. C. A., Ashland, OH, March 2 listed. Temple-Inland, Middletown, OH, March 2 Weyerhaeuser Co., Mt. Vernon, OH, March 2 Georgia-Pacific, Green Bay, WI, March 1 Smurfit-Stone Cont., Glendale, AZ, March 12 Huhtamaki Company, Paoli, PA, March 1 Wes-Pak Inc., Little Rock, AR, March 16 Bemis Company, Peoria, IL, March 1 FiberMark, Inc., Bloomsburg, NJ, March 19 Nat’l Envelope/Williamhouse of Pa., Scottdale, PA, March 1 Temple-Inland, Biglerville, PA, March 25 Caraustar Industries, Saginaw, MI, March 1 Temple-Inland, Winchester, VA, March 25 Key Container Corp., Pawtucket, RI, March 1 National Envelope, Kansas City, KS, March 29 P.C.A., Burlington, WI, March 1 Smurfit-Stone Cont., Philadelphia, PA, March 31

N N N N N N N U.S. Lags Behind Rest of World in Equipment Investment

U.S. paper and board machines are slow com- mid-2009. By the end of this year, the company’s pared to the speedsters in Asia and Europe. The containerboard capacity will amount to 6.8 million magazine, Pulp & Paper International, compiled a tonnes/yr, making Nine Dragons the world’s largest list of the world’s fastest paper and board machines. containerboard producer (assuming there are not Mills in China, Sweden and Japan had the fastest any major mergers in this sector this year). machines in the production of cartonboard. Lee & Man started five new containerboard Asian machines were fastest in coated and machines in 2007 through the first quarter this year. uncoated woodfree paper, cartonboard and tissue. More than 25 new containerboard machines are European machines took the lead in newsprint, planned in China over the 2007-2009 term, although supercalendered paper, lightweight coated paper and some of the new capacity will be offset by closure thermal paper. The only North American entry was of older machines. NewPage’s Port Hawkesbury, Canada mill. Contrary to U.S. paper companies, Nine Dragons China alone has seven high-speed machines fuels its expansion with new paper machines instead appearing in the PPI survey, up from three in 2006. of buying old mills from failing competitors Nine Dragons and Lee & Man illustrate the huge because it is more efficient in terms of cost and investment being made in the containerboard sector. time. Nine Dragons is bringing on board six con- Just like two years ago, the U.S. did not have a tainerboard machines by this June and is buying single machine in PPI’s ranking, indicating the lack another nine machines, six of which will start up by of investment in new equipment in this country. Appleton Locals Unite to Obtain Fair Deal Appleton workers are uniting to fight management’s relies on your good health to keep you out of bankruptcy. concessionary proposals and demand a fair contract, and Full union executive boards from all of Appleton’s will use all available options under the ESOP to stop the locations met and pledged to unite on the following items: shifting of healthcare costs onto them. quality, fair and affordable healthcare for active employees By 2010, management wants all employees to pay an (in and retirees; continuance of seniority rights; contract pro- network) deductible of $1,500 (single) and $3,000 (family); tection clauses for all locations that require the contract to an (in network) out-of-pocket maximum of $4,000 (single) be honored if Appleton is sold and workers’ approval and $8,000 (family); and a premium contribution of before their employee-owned company is sold; equal rep- $117/month (single) and $224/month (family).This cost-shift- resentation for all Appleton locations; and improvement of ing scheme is called a consumer driven healthcare plan which the defined benefit pension plans.

N N N N N N N Graphic Packaging-Altivity Packaging Combine Graphic Packaging Corporation and Altivity Packaging, closing of the combination is expected to take place after the LLC signed a consent decree with the U.S. Dept. of Justice court’s approval of an asset preservation order related to the and filed it March 5 with the U.S. District Court for the divestiture and the completion of administrative formalities. District of Columbia which has to approve it. The consent This merger will lead to a significant increase in industry decree requires the combined company to divest two of concentration in folding boxboard markets. Industry watch- Altivity’s coated-recycled paperboard mills, which are ers believe the merger also sets the stage for further consoli- expected to be the Wabash, Ind., and Philadelphia, Pa., mills. dation in packaging markets.

N N N N N N N Unite Reaches National Pay Agreement with Printing Federation

Our union’s merger partner, Unite, reached a proposed Tony Burke. settlement of the National Pay Agreement for 2008 with Dominic Walsh, chairman of the BPIF negotiating the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF). This panel and past president of BPIF, said: “This is a fair deal agreement will benefit over 30,000 workers in the com- for our industry. The reaffirmation by Unite of continuous mercial printing and packaging industry. improvement/cost recovery is a key element of this pro- “Given the current difficulties within the printing posed pay award. Now is the time for all companies to industry, we believe this is the best that can be achieved embrace continuous improvement and lean manufacturing by negotiations,” said Unite Assistant General Secretary to deliver real efficiencies.”

N N N N N N N Industry Short Takes

Smurfit-Stone plans to decrease the number of corru- dissolving pulp mill in Cosmopolis, Wash., from gated box plants in the Los Angeles area from six to three Weyerhaeuser. as part of its “strategic review.” US Corrugated is building a new box plant with a Pratt Industries USA plans to build a recycled con- high-speed corrugator in Lancaster, Ohio, for startup in tainerboard mill in Shreveport, La. This is the first green- mid-October. The plant will initially have 40-50 employ- field old corrugated container mill to be built in the U.S. ees but will employ 110 workers within the first three in over 10 years. years of operation. Domtar plans to close its 165,000 tons/year Port Aspen Products, a paper food service products manu- Edwards, Wisc., mill during the second quarter of 2008 facturer, will open its second converting plant in because of a drop in uncoated freesheet (UFS) demand. Richmond, Va., and plans to begin production this month. North American UFS demand declined about 700,000 tons Plant employment is expected to grow from 60 to 190 the last two years. About 10 percent of total North workers in three years. American UFS capacity has been taken out in 2007-08. Temple-Inland Inc. is a leading contender to buy About 500 employees at Port Edwards will be affected by Weyerhaeuser Co.’s containerboard business. the closure. International Paper is considered a likely frontrunner. Evergreen Pulp, owned by Chinese producer Lee & There is talk that Georgia-Pacific LLC may attempt to Man, is the front runner to acquire and operate a shuttered buy Temple-Inland.