Job future uncertain for workers at Cutler

CUTLER — It used to be that working for the government meant long-term job security. But job security for 97 civilian employees at the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station at Cutler is anything but certain these days.

By the end of June, 10 civil service positions will be eliminated at the base. Another 18 to 20 people will lose their jobs through a further reduction in force by October, according to Elmer L. Harmon, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2635, which represents the civilian work force at the base.

For the local economy, that translates to an estimated loss of $750,000 in wages for the roughly 30 positions to be eliminated in the two rounds of cuts, Harmon said.

“I believe that these cuts could and should be minimized,” Harmon said. “What the area businesspeople in Machias and surrounding communities need to do is form a coalition, similar to the Save Loring Committee, and address their concerns to our elected representatives in Washington, D.C.”

Harmon, meanwhile, is leaving Monday to meet in Washington with Sens. George J. Mitchell and William S. Cohen and Rep. Olympia J. Snowe in an attempt to stop the second round of cuts.

The trip is being funded through donations from members of his union local, not directly through union dues.

According to Harmon, union members chipped in about $800 and the Maine AFL-CIO provided a $500 grant to make his trip possible. He will meet with the delegation on Tuesday, June 9, and return to Washington County on June 10.

Harmon called his trip a “last effort to stave off impending cuts.” He said he expected to be notified later this month about those who would be affected in October.

Harmon said he was told Tuesday that two civilian employees whose jobs are in jeopardy qualified for an early retirement option. He said that a total of 18 civil servants qualified basewide.

Harmon also reported that the Navy had found new jobs within the Department of Defense for two of the first 10 workers hit by the reduction in force. In one case, the worker will move to Loring. For the other, it will involve a move to Norfolk, Va.

While the reduction in force reportedly is based on budgetary constraints and cutbacks, Harmon pointed out that both relocations involve moves at the Navy’s expense. The cost to move the one worker and his family to Virginia has been estimated at $20,000, roughly the average annual wage paid to civilians employed at Cutler.