Nearly 200 Workers Losing Jobs At St. Paul Plant

ST. PAUL, MN — WestRock will permanently lay off 189 employees from its St. Paul Corrugated Box facility beginning June 30, according to a WARN notice filed with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The affected facility is located at 2250 Wabash Avenue in St. Paul. Layoffs will occur over a 14-day period starting June 30, the company said.

WestRock is a global packaging giant that churns out everything from shipping boxes to retail cartons. The company operates in over 40 countries with more than 500 packaging converting operations and 63 paper mills.

Some of the impacted employees 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).

Bumping rights will follow collective bargaining agreements, the notice said.

The layoffs will affect a wide range of positions, including engineers, electricians, maintenance mechanics, warehouse coordinators, supervisors, and production line workers.

There are no trade implications associated with the closure at this time, according to the state’s Rapid Response Team.

Officials from DEED’s Rapid Response Team, Mee Yang and Liz McLoone, are coordinating the response and outreach efforts for affected workers.