Out-of-state labor

Regarding your story, “Jackson Lab hires Maine firms … to help Maine firms compete” (BDN, March 20), the second phase of the Jackson Laboratory’s $30 million reconstruction project has been awarded to Richardson Electric of Waltham, Mass. The next two lowest bidders were Maine firms, Milliken Bros. of Portland, and ELCO Electric of Bangor. The job will be done by the Massachusetts firm.

A third phase for constructing three new mouse buildings has been awarded to A.P. Whitaker Inc. of West Bridgewater, Mass. Local Maine firms bidding for this phase include Nickerson & O’Day of Brewer and several others. This phase also will be awarded to a Massachusetts firm.

Putting the “spin” aside, let’s tell it like it is! Maine firms are dying, with little help from our Legislature, governor or Congress. We’ve nearly lost our ability to compete. Not because of our ability to become more efficient and productive, but because of incompetent politicians and bureaucrats!

As a Maine employer hiring electricians, our Workers’ Compensation classfication has pending before the Bureau of Insurance another 50-percent rate increase on this year’s renewal. Also, we will be hit with a 3-percent “fresh start surcharge” to cover the massive cost overrun (of workers’ comp benefits paid vs. premiums collected) in the Maine residual market. This surcharge, bad as it is, is retroactive to 1987! As if we haven’t paid enough, already, they’re back for more … retroactive! How do we recover these increased costs?

Our insurance carrier for workers’ comp has fled south of the border, primarily due to this surcharge and our Legislature. We aren’t sure we can even continue coverage on April 1, as there may be no insurance carriers left to service our state. Keep in mind, our firm has a 0.80 experience mod, an excellent safety record, and we are grounded in the safest top 8 percent of Maine employers in the commercially insured market. We are in the voluntary market which used to mean that the insurance companies valued our account, due to our loss ratio.

We must now learn how to insure ourselves, as this appears to be the only option left, short of closing the doors forever.

When Massachusetts was awarded the Jackson Lab project, Maine jobs were lost. Let’s hope they are not lost forever. Pam Philbrick Hampden