NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (May 29, 2025). The leader of ILA Local 1478-2 is urging New Jersey lawmakers to end the ban of recyclable paper bags that will return “solid, middle-class jobs that sustain families and strengthen communities.” John Cuozzo, President of ILA Local 1478-2 and an Atlantic Coast District Vice President, sent a letter to full New Jersey Legislature to follow the lead Commerce Committee that gave bi-partisan backing to support S-3413.
The full text of John Cuozzo’s message to the New Jersey Legislature:
Time to bring back paper bags
The NJ legislature’s push to advance bill S-3413 and end the state’s ban on recyclable paper bags is good news for shoppers – and it’s a lifeline for hundreds of union workers.
At the Duro Bag facility in Elizabeth, the members of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1478-2 have felt the economic sting of the 2022 ban on both plastic and paper bags. While the intent of the ban was understandable, the unintended consequences for our workers have been sever. Hours have been cut and jobs have been put at risk.
Duro Bag is one of the last paper bag producers not only in the Tri-State area but in the entire country. These are solid, middle-class jobs that sustain families and strengthen communities. Reinstating recyclable paper bags as an option at checkout could help restore stability to our workforce and preserve an industry that is uniquely local.
We thank the Commerce Committee for its unanimous bipartisan support and urge the full Legislature to act quickly. New Jersey can support consumers, domestic manufacturing, and union labor – starting with recyclable paper bags.
John Cuozzo
President, International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1478-2