BATON ROUGE, LA — January 10, 2019 — Today, Georgia Pacific announced the closure of its communications paper division and the wood yard, pulp mill, and energy complex that support its operations. This will result in the layoff of 650 workers at the Port Hudson plant. We were extremely disappointed to learn that hundreds of hard-working men and women who reside in East Baton Rouge Parish will be without employment as a result of this closure.

Our priority now is to assist those who were affected by the layoffs. I am calling a meeting of stakeholders including BRAC, EmployBR, LED and the Louisiana Workforce Commission as well as officials from Georgia Pacific to map out a plan of action. The results of those conversations will be forthcoming.

In addition, EmployBR will initiate its Rapid Response (RR) program alongside the Louisiana Workforce Commission as a result of the layoffs. RR’s purpose is to respond as quickly as possible to a dislocating event in an effort to provide information and assistance to impacted employers and their employees.

Services available through EmployBR for dislocated workers include:

• Job Placement Assistance
• Career Counseling
• Workshops – Job Search, Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, etc.
• Provision of Labor Market Information (LMI)
• Job Fairs & Hiring Events
• Occupational Skills Training
• On-the-Job Training
• Apprenticeships

For more information, visit www.employbr.com.