Thursday, October 29, 2015 11:30 am

LONGVIEW, Washington (From The Daily News) -- KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. lost an estimated $14 million in the 12-strike at the Longview paper mill, the company announced in its third-quarter earnings report Wednesday.

"No one wins in a strike, and this strike was no exception," KapStone CEO Roger Stone in a press release.

"The strike cost KapStone approximately $14 million, and our Longview union employees lost approximately $2 million of wages and benefits," he added.

The company also estimated that there were $24 million in lost shipments from the Longview mill during the strike, which began in August and ended in early September.

Stone's statements did not detail how the losses occurred.

Officials with the mill workers' union were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

The union returned to work just after Labor Day without condition and without a new contract. The company and the union bargained for more than a year, and the membership rejected three contract offers. The two sides were hung up on a number of issues, but the major sticking point was the company's attempt to revamp health care coverage and impose a high-deductible plan. Its offer included a proposal to help workers cover the higher deductibles.

The union contends its strike was over several unfair labor practices that are before the National Labor Relations Board.