CANTON, N.C. (From news reports) -- Hundreds of mill workers have now received official lay-off notices in the mail from Pactiv Evergreen, but the letters offered little clarity into the shut-down plan, which remains shrouded in mystery even for mill managers.

Workers had gotten a memo last week, telling them to be on the lookout for the notice that would give them their last date of employment. But when those notices came, every one was given the same date: "expected date of your separation is June 9, 2023."

"They literally just sent the same letter to everyone except for changing the name of who it was addressed to," said Canton mill worker Shelli Russell.

Workers are confounded over how everyone could have the same end date, given the enormous to-do list that remains to shut down the mill -- from closing out final orders to powering down boilers and machines.

"None of it makes any sense at all. They don't have a plan in place," said mill worker Justin Rathbone. "Nobody knows anything, and nobody can tell you anything."

Mill workers are skeptical about the blanket end date, leading to speculation that some could have their end date extended. That's problematic because workers only get their company severance and a bevy of state benefits if they stay until the final day.

Workers fear some could see their "last day" get extended beyond June 9, making it difficult to know when they can accept a start date for a new job.

"Everybody is still in limbo. It's kind of like they are holding us hostage," said mill worker Jeff McLeod.

The lay-off notice contained two caveats about workers' official last day. First, June 9 was simply referred to as the "expected end date." Second, the letter said the end date was based on "the best information available to us, but may change due to subsequent events beyond our control."

Russell suspects the loophole is an intentional play by the company.

"When people move on to other places based on the June 9 date, they will be disqualified for severance if the date changes," Russell said.

The lack of clarity has prompted scores of workers to throw in the towel and quit early, sacrificing their severance to take a job offer on the table while the getting is good.

"People are walking out. There are so many people who already left, and more are leaving by the day," Russell said. "A lot of people have the mentality that they got to go now to take a job offer while they can."

And that may be exactly what Pactiv Evergreen wants, because it's fewer workers they'll have to pay severance to, Russell said.

Fate of the Waynesville site
Many of the 200 workers at the Pactiv Evergreen satellite facility in Waynesville have learned they will be losing their jobs also, along with the 800-plus employees of the main paper mill in Canton.

Workers at the Waynesville facility have been in the dark until now, with no official word on whether they would remain open, and if so, for how long. That changed this weekend when lay-off notices showed up in their mailbox.

The notice informs workers of a "substantial reduction in operations that will result in permanent job eliminations."

More mystery
Yet another thing that's puzzled mill workers about the lay-off notices is a reference to the termination window running through March 9, 2025. The lay-off notice says terminations will begin June 9 of this year and be "completed by March 9, 2025."

Meanwhile, the same notice informs employees their final day will be June 9. So what's the 2025 window all about?

It's likely due only to the mill's wastewater contract with the town of Canton. The mill processes the town's sewage, and Pactiv Evergreen is required to give the town a two-year notice before terminating the wastewater contract. March 9, 2025, is exactly two years from the mill's notice to the town.

Only a handful of employees would be needed to stay on to run the wastewater operation until then.

"We don't know who and they aren't telling us who," said McLeod, who works as a lab tech in the wastewater division.

Final days
Like at the Canton plant, workers at the Waynesville facility are already leaving in droves to take other jobs sooner rather than later. Ledbetter doesn't blame them.

"I'm not going to wait around indefinitely for a severance package if something comes up," he said.

In the meantime, the workers who remain are being pressed into more and more hours to cover operations. The number of shifts have been curtailed because the dwindling workforce means there aren't enough people to keep all shifts running.

Russell said she's taking advantage of the opportunity to work as much overtime as possible. She logged 52 hours of overtime on her last two-week paycheck.

The overtime is why Russell plans to stick it out until the end. She's been with the mill for less than two years, so her severance will be minimal based on one week's pay for every year on the job.

When it finally comes to a close, she plans to go back to school at Haywood Community College and start over at the age of 47.

Russell is a fourth-generation mill worker. Both of her mother's grandfathers worked for the mill in its early days.

"They actually molded the bricks to build these buildings," she said.

The way Pactiv Evergreen has treated employees who devoted their lives to the mill is like "pouring salt in the wound," she said. "It hurts me to see what these people are going through. Now, everytime we hear this whistle blow, we know it's coming to an end."