Blue Ridge Paper Products Announces New 3-Year Labor Agreement With United Steel Workers

Canton, NC – Recently, the United Steelworkers International Union (USW) ratified a new 3-year labor agreement with Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc. There are approximately 1500 USW represented Blue Ridge employees in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, and Georgia.

The new contract provides for annual increases of 4%, 3% and 3% over the next 3 years, retroactive to May 14, 2006. In addition to the annual increases above, the Company agreed to increase its contribution to the bargaining unit pension plan in order for benefits to remain at current levels. Modifications to the employees healthcare plan were also made, which included eliminating the highest cost and less utilized healthcare plan, and increasing employee contributions toward healthcare to 20% of the cost of that benefit in locations where the contributions were less than 20%.

SOURCE: Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc.