'We don’t need any more plants shutting down in Oregon'

MILLERSBURG, Ore. - Weyerhaeuser Co. is closing its Albany plant and laying off about 70 workers.

Workers were told they would receive their regular pay through Oct. 30, along with eligibility for severance pay and other benefits. A few employees will stay after that date to help close the plant.

Weyerhaeuser spokesperson Greg Miller said the company is making this change because residential wood products are not in high demand.

“We continue to adjust our operating posture to match supply with customer demand.  Wood products demand will remain volatile until markets recover, and long-term recovery must be supported by a sustained increase in core housing demand,” said Miller. 

Weyerhaeuser will run limited operations over the next two weeks to finish customer orders.

The news of the closure isn’t sitting well with some residents in the area. Becky McKibben owns a nearby store and has seen two plants close within a year of each other.

“We make a lot of friends with these people because we see a lot of them every single day.  It’s very painful for us to watch them lose their jobs and their homes and their pride,” said McKibben.

“We don’t need any more plants shutting down in Oregon. We’ve got too many people out of work,” said Les Burkhart.

Burkhart is retired but has lived in Albany since 1962. He said he’s never seen the local economy as bad as it is now.

“I could quit one job and go right back and to another job just like that. And now you're lucky if you can even find a job,” said Burkhart.

Burkhart said he’s not sure what can be done to fix the bad economy but more jobs need to somehow be created.