BUCKSPORT, Maine — A union representing some workers at the soon-to-close Verso Paper mill in Bucksport has filed a federal lawsuit to block the sale of the facility.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, representing 59 employees, is asking the court to block the sale of the mill to a scrap metal company and open the way for a buyer that would keep the mill operating.
Verso announced in October it would close the 84-year-old mill, putting more than 500 people out of work. The owners blamed the closure on high energy costs and decreasing demand for specialty paper made at the mill.
The lawsuit says Verso did not want to sell to a competitor in "an illegal conspiracy to monopolize the market for coated printing paper."
Verso representatives couldn't be reached.