Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Rep. Pete Aguilar Meet Paper Industry Workers to Discuss Labor Support

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez met with pulp and paper workers and union leaders at the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) Hall in Longview to discuss ongoing efforts to support the pulp and paper industry and promote safe, stable employment for millworkers in Southwest Washington.

Gluesenkamp Perez was joined by Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), a fellow appropriator, as the lawmakers spoke with workers about workforce stability, job safety, and federal support for the industry.

The congresswoman said her office has prioritized economic stability and workplace safety for pulp and paper workers since she entered Congress. According to the information provided, those efforts have intensified following a chemical tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill in Longview, which it states resulted in the deaths of 11 workers.

“This is an industry with a workforce built on generational skill and renewable resources. It’s the kind of skill you only get when you do the long work of investing in people. These workers need to know that their jobs are secure, safe, and that they’re going to be able to put food on the table and come home every night,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “I’m so proud to be here—talking with the people on the shop floors and in the mills, doing the work—about what I can do to support their livelihoods.”

Gluesenkamp Perez said she has supported the region’s natural resource economy, including paper mills in Southwest Washington, throughout her time in Congress. In 2025, she introduced the Jobs in the Woods Act, which aims to invest in education and training for a new generation of skilled workers.

The congresswoman also highlighted recent appropriations totaling more than $5 million to fully fund the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the independent federal agency responsible for investigating industrial chemical incidents and promoting chemical safety at facilities such as paper mills.