NewPage Mill Prepares to Close its Door for Last Time Monday

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Updated: 8:11 AM Sep 8, 2008 NewPage Mill Prepares to Close its Door for Last Time Monday KIMBERLY, Wis. (AP) -- About 600 workers in Kimberly will be without a job when NewPage Corp. shuts down the paper mill on Monday. Posted: 6:15 PM Sep 7, 2008 Reporter: AP

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KIMBERLY, Wis. (AP) -- About 600 workers in Kimberly will be without a job when NewPage Corp. shuts down the paper mill on Monday.

Those workers, and many others in the tight-knit community, spent this weekend showing anyone who was watching that they don't plan to go quietly.

More than 3,000 people gathered at Memorial Park in Kimberly on Saturday in a show of "Papermaker Pride." The crowd held signs that urged NewPage's owners to "Run it ... or Sell it" and chanted that slogan throughout the afternoon.

The company announced the closure in July, blaming a weak economy and an influx of lower priced imported paper from places like China.

During the rally, a call was made to NewPage CEO Mark Suwyn. The crowd chanted into the phone and hung a sign on a nearby storage shed that read "Real Damage, Real People."

Union leaders say the strong showing gives them some hope that the company will reverse its decision to close the mill.

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