Surviving Job Loss

Root and Park examine the plight of paperworkers displaced from two mills-one in Sartell, Minnesota, and the other in Bucksport, Maine. The insightful, personal portraits they provide of these workers are representative of the hundreds who lost their jobs as a result of the closings. They also follow their paths to reemployment, retirement decisions, and the personal struggles they faced as a result of their dislocations. In addition, the authors describe the types of assistance that were offered to the workers displaced by the mill closings, dedicate a chapter each to the plights of female workers and of spouses who were both displaced by the closings, discuss the importance of community when economic displacement occurs, compare the experience of a mill closing in Canada with the Maine and Minnesota closings, and conclude with ways that society can be more proactive in assisting workers who suffer job displacement and the economic and psychological impacts that so often occur as a result. Overall, this book adds a human perspective to the problems facing dislocated workers, not only in the shrinking paper industry but also in other contracting industries in the United States.