Changes to cost 150 jobs at P&G Paper production at the East River mill will end by March 1 By Patti Zarling News-Chronicle As part of a consolidation plan long in the works, Procter & Gamble Co. is moving its paper production operations from its East River plant, 800 University Ave., to the Fox River plant at 501 Eastman Ave. About 150 employees will lose their jobs in the process. Procter & Gamble announced back in 2000 that consolidation would take place, and again in early 2001 that those plans could include cuts in the company's work force. At that time, no one would say how it would effect the roughly 1,500 people working at Procter & Gamble Paper Products of Green Bay. "In a way, this is an old story," Bill Ward, company spokesman, said Monday. "This is just the other end of it." About 1,250 employees involved in the production of facial tissues, toilet paper and paper toweling at East River will be relocated to the other mill. The remainder will be offered a buyout, which they will have until March 1 to accept. Officials said a consolidation effort was behind the move. Most paper operations between the two plants were taking place at the Fox River mill. The East River mill will continue manufacturing other products such as Downy fabric softener and Bounce dryer sheets. The paper operations at the East River plant will close Wednesday, although its workers will spend the next month helping move equipment to the Fox River site. The move should be completed by March 1. Ward said the company had been talking about separating the two operations in August of 2001. In March of 2001, news reports indicated the Cincinnati-based company was considering job cuts that could eliminate 10 percent to 20 percent of its global work force in response to the economic downturn. The Green Bay plant, purchase by Procter & Gamble in 1957 from the former Hoberg Paper Co., manufactures Charmin toilet tissue, Bounty paper towels and other products. Procter & Gamble announced in January of last year that its sales had fallen 4 percent in the previous quarter from the same period a year earlier. The company at that time said sales volume and market share had been hurt when it tried to raise prices to offset rising new material costs. Ward said the consolidation efforts won't affect production levels. The company is in the process of building a new distribution center on Green Bay's east side, which Ward said is necessary to replace space used in town. Reporter Christopher Clough contributed to this report.