By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Officials with the Maine Military Authority announced Friday that they are preparing to reduce the company’s workforce by up to 140 employees beginning in October under an efficiency plan to adapt to changing demand for MMA services.
Founded in 1997 and located in Limestone, MMA refurbishes vehicles, equipment and component parts to customer-driven specifications. MMA currently employs 210 workers, who were notified of the impending layoffs on Friday before the public announcement.
According to Peter Rogers, communications director for the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, the majority of cuts will affect employees in Limestone and may also result in the loss of jobs in the Augusta office.
“This is tough,” Rogers said. “These guys do such amazing work. They are the premier site in the United States for refurbishment.”
Since 2010, MMA has maintained its workforce through supplemental funding provided by Congress and the Army. MMA also secured a one-time $40 million investment from the National Guard in 2012 to perform work that could not be provided in a timely fashion at another Army facility. The drawdown of troops and equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan has slowed the flow of military vehicles in need of the MMA’s services and is to blame for the loss of jobs, according to Rogers.
The MMA had received a great deal of attention of late for its work rehabilitating transit and school buses. It recently completed work on a Portland Regional Transportation unit and has refurbished 15 school buses with a reported eight more in the works.
“MMA will continue to pursue every opportunity to minimize and avoid layoffs. In addition to working closely with the National Guard Bureau, we are aggressively seeking qualification as a certified vendor for the refurbishment of transit buses from state and regional entities,” said Tim Corbett, CEO of MMA. “This decision is in no way a reflection on the performance of the hard working men and women of MMA.”
Rogers confirmed that development of the transit and school bus projects will continue to be a priority.
“We are optimistic, but not there yet,” Rogers said. “We’ve met with the governor and the Department of Transportation. And we are looking to develop a number of other avenues such as ambulances and other emergency vehicles.”
The Maine Department of Labor’s Rapid Response program has reached out to the MMA and will provide assistance to affected workers. The Rapid Response program of the Bureau of Employment Services assists workers facing job loss due to downsizing or closures.
Employees will receive guidance on applying for unemployment benefits and the services of the department’s CareerCenter system, including the Maine Job Bank and other programs. The Department of Labor can advise and assist employers and employees with information about their rights, responsibilities and obligations during such an event to safeguard the economic stability of workers and the surrounding community.
The announcement of the layoffs prompted U.S. Representative Mike Michaud to reach out to the Department of Defense and the Army. He also spoke with the governor of New Hampshire’s staff over the weekend about how MMA could help save them money on buses.
In addition, Michaud contacted the consulate general of Israel in Boston to see if their defense department could utilize MMA’s services.
“I’ve worked closely with MMA for years to support their efforts to diversify their business,” Michaud said. “This news is just devastating. My office will work closely with the Rapid Response team to ensure that everyone impacted has what they need to get through this difficult time.”
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King released a joint statement on the layoffs.
“We are disappointed that the efforts to diversify the work at Maine Military Authority since 2010 have not generated enough work to replace the extensive Humvee repair work conducted on behalf of the National Guard during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the senators commented. “We will continue to work together to explore any potential opportunities for the MMA to fulfill maintenance requirements of the National Guard and the Department of Defense, and we have written the director of the Army National Guard, General William Ingram, to ask him to work with us in doing so.”
State Representative Bernard Ayotte, who represents District 3, which includes Limestone, expressed his concern about the situation, stressing how important it is for the company to find other non-military projects to work on.
“What is too bad is that it takes a war to drum up business,” Ayotte commented. “I have been at the facility quite a few times and I’m really impressed with the work they do. There should be some peacetime way to drum up business. We need to think about what could be done to advertise what we can do around here.”
