[bamaman_22]

Standard Furniture plans big job cuts- al.com

200 at Standard Furniture Plant in January

[SIZE=3]Vanity Fair to close last area plants, cut 270 jobs[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][/SIZE]Associated Press - May 20, 2008 3:24 PM ET
MONROEVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Fruit of the Loom Incorporated announced it will close its Vanity Fair Brands dye plant in Monroeville and its knitting facility in Jackson by the end of 2009, cutting 270 jobs.
According to the company, the move will eliminate 180 jobs in Monroeville and 90 in Jackson.


Georgia-Pacific cuts jobs in Monroe County

Posted by Jeff Amy, Business Reporter May 20, 2008 3:23 PM

Categories: Breaking News, Business
Georgia-Pacific Corp. cut 67 employees from its Peterman plywood mill last week, adding to Monroe County's job woes.
Julie Davis, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based company, said about 300 workers remain at the non-union facility north of Monroeville. The company said it had 380 employees there in March.


Just sad. Monroeville is a beautiful historic town, beautiful countryside, and feels more what life was like long ago. Thats the quality I like about South Alabama but business and outsourcing is killing the old South. In its place is ever sprawling "safety zones" as I like call to them - Metro Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville - with their accompanying anonymity, sprawl, and catch 22 job options -- if you want the Old South country quality of life you have to commute FAR from any of the cities. One of the things that has preserved Monroeville is the fact that its not near any cities but it doesn't need to die. Monroeville is not the only city of this kind, there are many others throughout South Alabama. We need more retirees, businesses, and more job security in South Alabama. The Thyssen Krupp plant isn't going to help anything its still too close to Mobile and about 80 miles from Monroeville. Those kind of plants to are just a drop in the bucket for whats needed. And you wonder why i'm bitter about the world the Baby Boomers have handed us. I'm not one of most of generation that can't wait to move to a big city, I want to move back to the country and turn things around and hope there are others in my generation that feel the same way.

[hdwell]

Moderator cut: copyrighted quote

I sympathize with you and the south Alabamans. I live in north Lousiiana and much the same thing has happened here. Monroe lost a Delphi plant which made headlights for cars, several lumber mills have been shut, State Farm Ins. relocated its regional offices away from Monroe. Well I'm probably not helping your feelings any, but I know how you must feel. Yes I think the boomers, of which I'm one, do a lot of dumb things. All this "we must change it because we are boomers" mentality has been a puzzle to me. Why change just because th e previous generation established something. If it works, don't fix it. (or change it) groan.

[Southlander]

Georgia-Pacific has bought up quite a few plywood and particleboard plants around the Southeast and shut many down in order to drive up the price.

[chj]

I know when vanity fair closed down their plant in atmore it just about destroyed the town. I think they are just starting to recover now. I live in brewton and georgia pacific just bought out the paper mill here but they are not going to close it or at least I have not heard anything about it. t.r. miller is another company but it is locally owned and has been opened since the late 1800's.

[RS-1080]

Hate to hear of more lost jobs. I live in a town of only 800 folks and quite a few worked at Toshiba about 25 miles away as it was a decent paying job and theres nothing to offer in this town,period. One store that sells gas,another small small store that sells gas to,a little country diner,a little in the middle of nowhere dollar store next to the gas station,and three real smalltown banks.Thats only a handfull of folks needed to run the town so folks must drive to find work.There is a machine shop and a little melting plant at the other end of town,but still,only a hanfull of folks needed there to,very few work there.Toshiba closed and about 1,000 jobs were lost.Even Cracker Barrel DC wharehouse has cut hours back, they have done great in the 11 years my wifes worked there but slowin' down.It's gettin' sorta scary folks.

[Southlander]

Yes, so much of the economy was based on farming. Now big companies own the land and don't farm because of tax laws. Even farmers who DO work the land have to have big business - invest or rent the big machines, which uses fewer people, and still risk losing it all if the weather doesn't cooperate. And life keeps taking more and more money just to exist. Changing times, my friends.
But, you know, times have changed before, and we're still here.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by chj

I know when vanity fair closed down their plant in atmore it just about destroyed the town. I think they are just starting to recover now. I live in brewton and georgia pacific just bought out the paper mill here but they are not going to close it or at least I have not heard anything about it. t.r. miller is another company but it is locally owned and has been opened since the late 1800's.

You're right CHJ. I live in Atmore and when VF closed many many people were out of a job, mostly women. Many of those people started working at Masland Carpets, but even they have now laid off some employees. The only source for jobs now is the new casino.

Standard Furniture on the other hand doesn't surprise me. They have never paid a decent wage and they even hire prison inmates to do some of the work (I know they do in Bay Minette).

[kevin_1975]

Opp, Alabama use to have like 5 sewing factories and a huge cotton mill. Thanks to NAFTA, it killed all the sewing factories and now the mill is gone. Talk about hurting a town....