Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Just as Surprised About Layoffs at Sonoco

Monday, December 12th, 2022 -- 10:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) According ot Mike Leischner with WSAU, Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser was just as in the dark about last week's announcement regarding layoffs at Sonoco as everyone else.

"I've only heard bits and pieces and just what officially has been put out. We have a mill and a core and tube operation in Wisconsin Rapids and this only effects the core and tube operation."

He says he does know that the Department of Workforce Development will be helping the impacted workers. "They put together job fairs and are the rapid response team to help those employees secure new employment."

He says the core and tube operation is still vital to Sonoco's process. "They're being produced somewhere else or if it's going to be consolidated somewhere else, I have not heard. But there is going to be some job losses in our community, unfortunatley."

He says he does think there is a chance that the jobs will stay in the Wisconsin Rapids area at the company's mill operation. "Our mill operation in town here has been a great partner and we've had great communications with them and, hopefully, they have future plans in our community and so we're just kind of waiting and seeing. But the core and tube operations was a surprise to us."

A release from Sonoco last week said many of the impacted jobs do have bumping rights, and the company does have operations elsewhere in Wisconsin including in Wausau and Green Bay.

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