Nate Zink to President Obama

The Honorable Barack Obama October 22, 2009
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500-0004

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing as President of the Association ofWestem Pulp & Paper Workers, Union 49 in Humboldt County, California. I represent 189 union workers, many of which are out of a job as a result of the last pulp mill in California closing. This does not need to happen.

The Samoa mill is the only chlorine-free pulp mill in the United States. As a result of the work of the EPA, numerous environmental groups and community advocates this mill committed to total conversion and replacement ofa chlorine bleaching system in the early 1990’s. This conversion allows the plant to operate and not produce water discharges containing dioxin.

When the new owners acquired the Samoa mill in February of 2009, their vision was to make the mill competitive by manufacturing consumer-ready, eco-friendly, chlorine-free toilet tissue at a carbon-neutral facility. The vision included consuming by-products of the Redwood forest, such as Tanoak trees, which are a valueless, disease-stricken hardwood tree species that at present is an extreme fire hazard to the Redwood region.

The company’s vision had broad support from environmental advocacy groups, educators, foresters, community leaders and labor unions. Unfortunately, the banking industry collapsed, and both federal and state lawmakers were unable to help fund a shovel ready, job creating, and renewable stimulus project. As a result, thousands of many direct and indirect green living wage jobs in California’s North Coast region have been affected.

My union membership and I are deeply disappointed with the lack of support received from our federal representatives for this project that seemed to embody green manufacturing and for the lack of support for jobs in our community.

The lives, livelihood of our families and health of our community are at severe risk. As I mentioned earlier this does not need to happen. I have spoken with the current owners ofthe pulp mill, and they are willing to work to keep this plant in operation. Now I am turning to you and asking you to intervene. I’ve sent Secretary Solis a similar plea to seek a resolution to this issue and keep our pulp mill and hundreds of jobs in our community.

There must be something that can be done to keep these jobs in the United States.

Sincerely,

Nate Zink
Local 49
Samoa, California