Sierra Pacific Industries is closing a sawmill in El Dorado county that has been open since 1889! And also their Arcata plant that started all the Red Emmerson legacy that led him as the largest public land owner in the United States. This will lead to over 100 more Humboldt County worker layoffs.
And brace yourselves, California Redwood and Green Diamond executives came down to Humboldt to announce potential permanent closures in the next 6 months. Hundreds of workers could be affected! And of course, Humboldt Redwood (Old Palco)has slowly cut back on their workforce to less than 200 of a past 1,500 workers. Need I include Humboldt Creamery, Mervyns and Gottshalks closures? And we have many Truck Drivers cut back on their hours because of these circumstances.
Humboldt County needs to have an economic employee disaster declared! I love this area, but how many hits can we handle? This is real and now!
Update: California Redwood spokeswoman Jackie Deuschle called to say that my information is "Nothing further from the truth." She admitted it will be a tough year and she hopes for no further layoffs. "We have been around 119 years and not going anywhere!" This is good news. My source had told of California Redwood executives from Seattle meeting here recently and left a timetable of 6 months. I am glad they were wrong.
As far as the Sierra Pacific Emmerson mill closure information, that was in the Eureka Reporter column piece by K. Lloyd Billingley on Wednesday in the Times Standard.
I do not believe that Humboldt Creamery is at full staffing. Am I wrong?
I can't help but think that the anti- corporate, anti-business, anti- timber industry progressives see this as a triumph.
ReplyDeleteI tried to comment on this post, Richard, but nothing comes to mind that can help.
ReplyDeleteWhen did the creamery close?
ReplyDeleteGeneral Growth (Bayshore Mall parent) filed for bankruptcy today. More unemployed. The hits just keep coming.
ReplyDeleteAnd Anonymous at the top of this thread is an ass. Maybe they had a little bit too much tea to drink yesterday.
We need to come together in this county and try to help each other for the good of all. It is hard for some to see their neighbors as anything other than socialist godless potheads, and it is hard for others to see their neighbors as anything other than selfish corporate dupes, but we have to try to work together toward a solution. We're all in the same boat here.
Reading this, I get you're saying the SPI Arcata mill is closing. Is that what you wrote?
ReplyDeleteAnd you're also saying Cal Redwood and Green Diamond will be closing some Humboldt operations. Is that what you wrote?
I hope you're just repeating idle gossip. If you are, you'll look pretty silly for being so gullible.
Timber, fisheries, constuction, retail, trucking, Humboldt county could end up losing a thousand jobs in a six months time period. Creamery at risk. We really seem to have become an ecconomic disaster area and I doubt we're alone. Praying to the Creator would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteNow is the time to move out of town. Hopefully you have some cash on hand.
ReplyDeleteSome nearby regional possibilities are: Redding, the Portland area, El Dorado County / east Sacramento, Los Angeles area.
I have been researching and all these places have pretty decent work available, and the rents are considerably cheaper and you can find a better place than here. I have not researched Washington State yet though.
This county is going nowhere fast. It's been this way for 15 years, and we all know it. Your water bill will be 100+ a month soon. There will be no economic base to support this place.
Get out while you have strength. My timeline is 2 months. No more.
I have it from a pretty good source that General Growth might be delinquent on their power bill! Say goodbye to another 300-600 service workers if that is true...
ReplyDeleteDidn't see ballboy at the tea party,but I bet he'll be at the next, can't we close something else,HCDCC meeting. Who needs them f^*#^*g jobs any who.Work ain't cool,bro.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:53 pm, I know you are right about Portland area. rent and purchasing up here is at least on par with Eureka. I paid 155,000 for 1700 sq ft 4 bed 2 bath 3 years ago here in PDX and prices aint went up. There is work here and even some papermills. Washington, at least the parts I know like Sea-Tac and Olympia are ok with jobs, bit higher cost of living and traffic is about 3 times as bad as PDX. As always anyone looking to change locale to here, I am availible for resource. Things like pick up at airport or finding your way around town, anything I can do to help someone from huhmboldt that wants to help themselves too. I miss Eireka everyday but there was no work there when I left 11 years ago and it just has got worse. Anyone with questions about the area can get my info from Rich if he deems it ok to pass out :-)
ReplyDeleteI will throw out a list of places you do not want to move to:
ReplyDeleteLas Vegas
Phoenix
Fresno/the valley
Southern Oregon
The Bay Area
These places are all going to shit and unless you have a job set up right out the gate you will end up
in a very bad situation.
Mill workers specifically might want to check out Quincy Ca. Otherwise I guess it's northward from here.
When did the Creamery close?
ReplyDeleteCalifornia Redwood spokeswoman Jackie Deuschle called to say that my information is "Nothing further from the truth."
ReplyDeleteDon't bet the farm on this. First comes the denial. Then six months later that is forgotten when the bombshell hits.
Didn't Green Diamond already say that if market conditions didn't change that we could expect more layoffs?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really look like they're changing.
Where will they sell their logs if they can't mill 'em themselves?
HRC?
Ship them out raw?
I trust an anonymous source thats close to Richard Marks (with a
realistic story) much more than a company spokesperson who is paid to influence peoples thinking.
I heard that the Emmerson sons were trying to covince Red to pay laid off workers some extra money and benefits (like other rich companies do but he did not want to let any of his billions go to help the workers..
ReplyDelete