A Quebec-based company that completed the purchase of Fraser Timber’s lumber mill in Masardis in January will temporarily layoff its 135 employees next week due to market conditions. The layoff at Maibec will last four weeks, according to Charles Tardif, vice president of Maibec.
The mill normally shuts down for a week during this time of year, Tardif said Thursday afternoon. Mill officials made the decision to extend the layoff by an additional three weeks due to a downturn in the market.
“It is only temporary,” he said. “The price of lumber has been going down since January, but the situation is starting to improve really slowly.”
Maibec announced in September 2014 that it was buying the mill and completed the purchase early this year. The price was not disclosed.
The Masardis facility produces lumber primarily for the construction and renovation markets, and can annually produce more than 100 million board feet of softwood lumber, which is sold in the U.S., according to the company.
From the Bangor Daily News: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/06/04/news/aroostook/maibec-millworkers-face-temporary-layoff/