After a six month layoff, employees go back to work.
ONTONAGON -- It's work as usual for Smurfit-Stone employees.
On Tuesday, after six months of down time, cash-strapped employees, like Roger Rantala, will be able to collect a pay check.
"I was really surprised that we're going back already," said Rantala, "but I'm happy."
And Rantala isn't questioning it; he's just thankful to once again have a job.
Back in November, Smurfit-Stone announced the temporary shutdown and month after month, the mill extended the layoffs due to depressed market conditions.
"When it got drug out a month at a time, that hurt people," said USW president Steve Store for Local 2-354.
Store says some of the workers though, remained on the job to tend the facility.
Store was only out of work for about a month, and now with the return of some 130 hourly employees, they'll be working harder than ever to get the mill and its equipment back on-line.
It's still tentative as to when paper products will hit the market, but officials are hopeful to have the mill's No. 2 machine up and running by next Friday, followed by the No. 1 machine. That's good news for Ontonagon businesses who've also lost money during the layoffs.
"Well, we figured it wasn't going to be good," said manager Lynda Karttunen of Syl's Cafe. "It was month by month, and every month they didn't go back, it got worse and worse."
This community may be down, but slowly now, it's reviving; and the rumblings of the mill is music to everyone's ears.
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