Minnesota Business With Ties To St. Cloud Will Layoff 72 Workers

A Minnesota business will be laying off more than 70 workers by the start of September. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development sent out the notice this morning, stating that 72 workers from a Smurfit Westrock facility in St. Paul would be permanently laid off on September 1st.

Layoffs Were Expected To Take Effect In June

The layoffs, which are referred to as permanent layoffs in the MN DEED notice, were originally expected to take place in June but were pushed back "due to business needs." In total, it's expected that the St. Paul facility, located at 2250 Wabasha Ave, will lay off 72 employees.

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The St. Paul operations created "a range of containerboard liners and flutings for the sustainable manufacture of corrugated board and packaging."

Union Employees Are Involved In The Layoffs

According to the DEED notice, "Some of the employees being affected by this layoff are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW Local 110), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE Local 70), and the United Steelworkers of America (USW Local 264)."

St. Cloud Connection To The Layoffs

Smurfit Westrock, which, according to an online search, "is a newly formed global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions resulting from the combination of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock." Smurfit Westrock makes paper-based packaging and has locations in 40 different countries, including a manufacturing building in St. Cloud.

The St. Cloud location, which is not currently being affected by the St. Paul layoffs, specializes in "corrugated packaging such as standard cases, boxes, and trays suitable for all industries."