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Schweitzer Meets With Laid-Off Smurfit Workers

By Beacon Staff

MISSOULA – About 40 Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. workers met with Gov. Brian Schweitzer and state labor officials to discuss the workers’ prospects when the mill closes at the end of the month.

The Tuesday meeting in Missoula covered concerns like services provided by the Missoula Job Service and health insurance for the unemployed.

Smurfit-Stone announced this month that it will close its paper mill near Frenchtown, eliminating 417 manufacturing jobs in western Montana.

The Missoulian reports that Keith Kelly of the State Department of Labor gave an overview of unemployment benefits.

Schweitzer told the workers that there should be future jobs in federal stimulus projects, and development of transmission, wind power and biomass energy projects.