
A truck leaves Sappi North America’s Somerset Mill in April 2024. Members of Local 2740 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM, authorized a strike in a vote Dec. 16, 2024, according to IAM spokesperson DeLane Adams. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file
SKOWHEGAN — Millwrights, machinists and mechanics at the Sappi Somerset Mill “overwhelmingly” rejected the latest contract offer from company management the union representing the workers said Friday.
The members of Local 2740 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM, also authorized a strike in a vote Dec. 16, 2024, according to an IAM spokesperson, DeLane Adams.
“IAM Local 2740 members at Sappi voted loud and clear, and now we welcome the opportunity to sit down at the table next Tuesday with management to get an offer that includes fair wages, work-life balance and the dignity our members deserve,” IAM District 4 Business Representative Chris Wiers said in a statement issued Friday. “This is about valuing their hard work, which keeps this mill running and helps make this company successful.”
The local, which has 71 members, has a contract expiring Jan. 31. It is one of four unions at the mill, which Sappi says employs 754 workers.
Adams, IAM’s assistant communications director, declined to offer specifics of what the machinists union is asking of the company.
In a statement to the Morning Sentinel, Sappi officials said the company was “disappointed” in the union’s rejection of the latest offer.
“We have presented a highly competitive offer, already accepted by other Sappi unions, featuring industry-leading wage increases on top of wages that are already among the best in both the industry and the region,” the company’s statement said. “We remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement.”
Sappi North America, a Boston-headquartered subsidiary of an international company, employs about 2,100 people at its four mills, technology center, service center and sheeting facilities in the U.S. and Quebec, according to its website. In addition to the Somerset Mill, Sappi operates mills in Westbrook; Cloquet, Minnesota; and Matane, Quebec.
The Somerset Mill produces 1 million metric tons a year of coated woodfree paper, paperboard and label papers, and 525,000 metric tons of bleached chemical pulp, the company says.
Sappi is currently investing $418 million at the mill, including the conversion of its No. 2 paper machine to make a packaging product and increase production capacity. The company said in a social media post earlier this month that the new machine is set to come online in April.
Wiers, the IAM district business representative, alluded to that investment in his statement Friday.
“We want Sappi management to invest in its workforce, just as the company invested in the Skowhegan mill and other facilities,” Wiers said. “Our members are hard-working and highly skilled millwrights, machinists, and mechanics who deserve a fair contract that respects their craft. We look forward to coming to a deal that reflects the value that our members bring to Sappi.”
Members of the IAM Local 2740 previously threatened a strike in 2019 amid negotiations, the Morning Sentinel reported then. Union and company officials ultimately celebrated the contract that was ratified.
The largest union of workers at the mill, United Steelworkers Local 4-9, authorized a strike amid negotiations in October and held a rally.
A spokesperson for the Maine AFL-CIO, with which the union is affiliated, said in a December email that the steelworkers ratified a contract later in October, though he did not have details.
A regional staff representative for the USW did not return a message Friday afternoon.
Kennebec Journal reporter Emily Duggan contributed to this report.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.