Deeds urges aid for Isle of Wight paper-mill workers
Published: October 24, 2009
R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor, is promising fattened jobless pay and health insurance for thousands who will be thrown out of work by the shutdown of a paper plant near Franklin.
Deeds, who visited the International Paper Inc. factory Thursday, said on a conference call with reporters yesterday that the closing is "just devastating" and will leave a "gap in the landscape of Isle of Wight County."
Deeds, whose Bath County-anchored Senate district includes a giant paper plant owned by MeadWestvaco, proposed for the 1,100 employees idled by the closing enhanced unemployment insurance as well as temporary health benefits.
Deeds, facing Republican front-runner Bob McDonnell, said that the package could be underwritten with $125 million in federal stimulus aid that the Republican-controlled House of Delegates blocked this past spring.
The office of Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said the money could not be used for the Deeds plan without General Assembly-approved revisions in jobless benefits.
Deeds' proposal, aimed at blue-collar Democrats whose unions have plowed millions of dollars into his campaign, apparently is intended to draw a contrast with McDonnell.
As a member of the House of Delegates, McDonnell opposed similar relief in 1999 for more than 2,000 workers who lost their jobs after the sudden closing of Tultex textile factories.
McDonnell, who frequently depicts Deeds as a tool of organized labor, said through spokesman Tucker Martin that Deeds is wrongly attempting to capitalize on the misfortune of the Franklin workers.
"No one should try to play politics with such a tragic situation, and no one should be seeking a massive tax hike on working families in such tough times," said Martin. "Unfortunately, Creigh is doing both."
Deeds, who knocked down a Washington Post report that he has rejected campaign advice from the White House, posted a new television commercial featuring workers from the MeadWestvaco factory accusing McDonnell of lying about the Democrat's position on cap-and-trade anti-pollution proposals.
Deeds opposes them, but McDonnell depicts him as supporting the measure, which industry claims will kill thousands of jobs.
McDonnell's resistance to cap-and-trade continues to generate financial support, including a late, $10,000 contribution from the Virginia Coal Association, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or
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Reader Reactions
Easymrk, why the strawman?
I said that we have regulated without regard to value, cost or damage to the economy. And that this regulation has assisted in the destruction of the US manufacturing economy over the last 40 years.
And that the cap & trade legislation is perhaps the worse example of that ever attempted. It has a tiny impact on CO2, yet creates massive disruption in the economy, driving even more production to China.
This is not saying that no regulation is the preferred alternative. No one wants to return to the days where companies buried mercury on the property then moved off. But we have reached the point where entire industries are being destroyed for mere eco-trifles or even falsehoods. Oil companies are being sued for causing Hurrican Katrina - today. Insanity.
Balance - costs vs benefits. It’s got to work both ways.
“On one hand, Deeds and the liberal Democrats support environmental policies which would bankrupt energy/water intensive coal powered operations like paper mills.“
So to be clear are you saying that to save jobs, there should be no regulation on companies, and they should be allowed to ruin our natural resources?
On one hand, Deeds and the liberal Democrats support environmental policies which would bankrupt energy/water intensive coal powered operations like paper mills.
In Democrat eyes, there is literally no policy or regulation deemed too expensive for industry and business to bear.
These policies have assisted in driving US manufacturing to China since the 1970’s when the tangle of lawyers, lawsuits and environmental laws began to really hurt manufacturing.
Companies found it just easier and more profitable to move away from the regulatory issues to China… where coincidentally labor costs $30/month for a 12 hour/6 day work week.
On the other hand, the Democrats are willing and able to take money from other taxpayers to give to the poor workers who lose their jobs when those plants close.
And still Deeds and the Democrats have no clue as to why those jobs are STILL leaving.
Just wait until those companies remaining are forced to pay for solar and wind at 10x the cost of coal or nuclear. Deeds just can’t wait for all those “green” jobs that will be created as expensive unreliable power becomes the law of the land.
The lunatics are running the asylum.
Heaven help us out of this mess.
The democrats are the ones in charge and they now must accept the blame for this mess. The repubicans must now come into power and clean up this mess. Do you see a vicious cycle in this?
I still am amazed at the gall of liberal politicians who think nothing at all of taking our hard earned money and giving it to someone else in exchange for their vote.
My heart goes out to the folks here that have lost and will lose their jobs at the plant. But it only compounds the problems we have as a nation when classless politicans pull tricks like this.
Craig Deeds is a little man with little ideas. The only thing he knows is what every good Democrat knows. . . “more entitlements to keep us in power.“
If he was any kind of decent leader he would be proposing a solution for getting us back to work. . . not putting us on the public dole. What happens Deeds when there are more people receiving entitlements than there are supporting entitlements? Tell us what your plan will be then?
This man has zero solutions for Virginia!
I find it very tasteless for Deeds to play political games with people being tossed out of work. You can thank the Warner/Kaine Tradition which Deeds supports for this plant closing. All the panels and commissions on climate change and cap and trade that Warner/Kaine and Deeds favor has led to a steady loss in solid good paying manufacturing jobs in Virginia.
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