Portland, Farmington, Aroostook sites affected

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In a move that was not unexpected after Bank of America completed its $35 billion acquisition just last month of credit card giant MBNA Corp., the company announced Thursday it will close four of the seven call centers it acquired in Maine.

Bank of America spokeswoman Alex Liftman declined to say how many employees stand to lose their jobs when the shutdowns in Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Farmington and Portland take effect March 10. But a source who was briefed on the figures told The Associated Press that 175 full-time workers and 170 part-timers were affected.

State officials and members of Maine’s congressional delegation tried to put a positive spin on the announcement Thursday, stressing that Bank of America would retain 1,700 employees in Belfast as well as more than 400 in Orono and an undisclosed number in Brunswick.

Liftman, however, said no decision has been made on the ultimate fate of the Orono and Brunswick call centers.

While pledging to help the communities that will lose jobs, Gov. John Baldacci said Thursday that the statewide employment picture could have been much worse.

“We could have lost all of these jobs,” he said, pointing out that the cuts reflect a previous announcement by the North Carolina-based Bank of America that the combined work force of the two merger partners would be cut by 6,000.

“I’m very pleased today with Bank of America’s decision to stay in Maine. They’re impressed with the Maine work force. They could have gone anywhere, but they chose Maine to be a significant part of their credit card operation. … It’s good news for Maine, and it’s significant employment.”

Delaware-based MBNA arrived in Maine in 1993 under the leadership of then-President Charles Cawley, who had long-standing ties to Maine. The company built a sprawling campus in Belfast and at one time employed more than 4,500 people across the state. That number had dropped to about 2,500 by the time the merger was announced.

Bank of America, as a matter of policy, does not break down its employment figures, Liftman said, so there was no official number for the current Maine work force.

She noted that MBNA had planned to close the “telesales sites” before its merger with Bank of America. She said sites to be closed were selected based on the “volume of work, operating costs and level of infrastructure” at each facility.

She said all of the displaced employees would have an opportunity to apply for positions within the bank and that all full-time employees who don’t find new positions would receive a severance package when their jobs end.

The credit card operation was still using the MBNA name as of Thursday, but Liftman said it eventually would be switched to Bank of America. “We have not rebranded yet, but we will,” she said.

Baldacci and all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation pledged Thursday to do whatever they could to help the displaced workers in the affected communities. The governor said his administration would discuss worker retraining and other state services with those affected.

He also indicated that the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development was communicating with other companies interested in possibly taking over the facilities being closed.

“In some of [Bank America’s] satellite offices, we’ve been working very closely with them and with other businesses that are very interested in those facilities, and we’ll be talking about those later as we go along,” Baldacci said. “I know there are going to be challenges in those satellite offices for the full- and part-time workers there, but I want them to know there are businesses that are actually interested in those offices.”

U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe said Thursday she had met with Anne Finucane, the Northeast president of Bank of America, who “informed me that Bank of America is actively seeking a buyer for the facilities in Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Farmington and Portland.”

Snowe added in her prepared statement, “I will do all I can to work with the governor and the other members of the delegation to help that process.”

U.S. Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen also pledged to make every effort to assist the affected employees and communities.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins agreed with the governor that Maine was fortunate to have the core of the Bank of America-acquired MBNA interests remain in the state. She said that decision could be attributed to “the skill and ethic of our Maine workers.”

“It is no secret that prior to the acquisition, MBNA had run into severe problems with capitalization,” Collins said in a prepared statement. “This new relationship with Bank of America will bring some stability and certainty to the midcoast operations.”

Catherine Conlow, Orono town manager, expressed sadness for the communities losing jobs, “but I am relieved that we don’t have to face that loss. Many university students and our friends and neighbors work there. It would be devastating to lose 430 jobs in this area.”

She said that because the University of Maine, a tax-exempt institution, is located in Orono, the town has very little land that can generate income other than residential property, so the $76,000 in taxes paid annually by Bank of America is important to the operation of the town.

Despite learning that Bank of America had not made a final decision on the facility in Orono, Conlow said, “I am confident that whatever changes come, we will work with them so that they are successful in Orono.”

Belfast Mayor Michael Hurley said he was disappointed that Bank of America was unable to retain all of its offices in Maine, but that the decision bodes well for the company’s future in the state. He said it was important to remember that Bank of America has made a long-term commitment to Maine.

“I think this is great news for Belfast, for Maine, the midcoast and the future,” said Hurley. “This is a final decision. This is not an interim decision on Belfast. This is them jumping in with both feet and making the final commitment to Belfast and Maine, and that is critical. People in Belfast and in the area have been concerned for a long time. That uncertainty is no longer there.”

Hurley also commended the governor, his staff and the state’s congressional delegation for their efforts to keep the company in the state.

“Obviously, we fought hard for the satellites and made the best case we could when we were dealing with [Bank of America officials], but in the end, they know these things better than we do, and they did what they needed to do for their business,” he said. “I think the way it was handled by all the parties involved, from the governor to the delegation, was critical to how Bank of America ended up feeling about Maine.”

The Associated Press and Judy Harrison of the Bangor Daily News staff contributed to this report.