Graphic Packaging’s East Angus plant, along with three others, could close by 2026 as the company builds a new plant in Texas.
“It wasn’t easy at the plant for the first week, but things are starting to settle down there,” said East Angus Pulp and Paperboard Workers Union (STPCEA-CSN) President Jean St-Francois.
Three other factories are in danger; those of Ohio, Michigan and Iowa. The company is building a new plant in Texas with production capacity equal to the other four. The union remains optimistic for now.
Market demand will determine the fate of the facility, but the Mayor of East Angus remains equally optimistic. “At McDonald’s, the Big Mac is packed in boxes made at Graphic. Take-out meals are no longer packed in styrofoam. So I am confident that there will be new products that will be in demand, i.e. the 500,000 tons [de l’usine du Texas] no longer sufficient, so it will happen here in East Angus,” stated East Angus Mayor Lyne Boulanger, who wants the plant to remain open.
If the factory closes in 2026, around 100 employees would lose their jobs. The company now has an employee retention plan. Those who continue to work for the next three years will receive a bonus of $1,500 per month. This would equate to $54,000 in 2026. Employees who quit earlier will not have access to it. New employees also have access to this bonus. To attract new workers.
In the meantime, workers can hope for good news in the coming months. Otherwise, the closure will be announced in early 2026.