Maine Military Authority hit by more layoffs than expected

LIMESTONE – A month ago 100 layoffs were announced at the Maine Military Authority at the Loring Commerce Center. On Wednesday, officials said the actual number of people who lost their jobs was 134.

Left working at the military vehicle rebuild center are 337 employees. The numbers should go back to their original number of 470 within six to 12 months, the deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Defense said Wednesday at a meeting with the Loring Development Authority.

The facility still has a payroll of $17 million, including $7 million in benefits, Donald O. Lagace Jr. said. The facility also has six employees working in Kuwait, assisting a company there rebuilding military hardware.

“This should be the extent of the layoffs,” Lagace said. “It has nothing to do with the work ethic of the employees; it’s all about the amount of work we have.

“It was a reduction in Army contracts,” he said. “We are working for more contracts with the military, the state and municipalities.”

The layoffs affected mostly the workers who were hired last, according to union contracts. Many of the layoffs will be in the area of bodywork, which makes up most of the work at the center.

Their contract with the Army declined to about 25 units a month, down from about 100 a month.

He said the Maine Military Authority is looking at 25 to 30 initiatives at the present time. He believed work will result from many of the prospects.

He said the center still hopes to get work from Maine communities on school buses and public works vehicles.

Lagace said some of the negotiations are close to the end, and more work could be forthcoming.

“Getting more contracts is our number one priority at the present time,” Lagace said. “I am looking for a positive future at MMA.”

Lagace has been named CEO of the MMA, replacing Art Cleaves who left Maine to become regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Boston.

The MMA can sustain 337 employees with the contracts it now has. Any extra contracts they pick up will mean more jobs.

The facility has refurbished more than 3,800 military Humvees since it opened in 1997.