For the last month, about 60 workers at the Maine Military Authority in Limestone have been mentally preparing to enter the ranks of the unemployed while the state attempts to renegotiate a bus refurbishment contract with Massachusetts. Tomorrow was supposed to be the last day on the job for two-thirds of the workforce, but the employees have received a temporary reprieve.
At the Augusta headquarters of the Maine State Employees Association, executive director Rod Hiltz had been planning a Friday trip to Limestone to assist the state workers at the Maine Military Authority after 10-day layoff notices were sent to his union employees.
“The state’s Department of Labor, the rapid response crew was headed up there for 1 PM,” Hiltz said. “My understanding was that it was 40 out of the 60 people working up there.”
But that was before he received an email from MMA officials shortly before noon.
“Just a few moments ago, I received an email that stated that there’s been an extension to that layoff and that everybody is to report to work on Monday – so that’s good news,” Hiltz said.
Hiltz says he does not want to speculate on what the extension means. Workers at MMA have been refurbishing articulated, diesel-electric Silverline buses for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority under a $19 million contract in which MMA was the sole bidder. Costs for the project soon soared to well beyond the amount that was originally estimated. Last month, Gov. Paul LePage announced that work would halt after the MMA had finished 11 of 32 buses scheduled for retrofitting.
State officials have met with the MBTA which Hiltz says is supposed to decide by Wednesday about how it would like to proceed.
“Right now they’re intending to reschedule the rapid response meeting for either next Thursday or next Friday because they have to prepare for the layoffs – if they happen,” Hiltz said.
Calls made to MMA executive director Hugh Corbett for an update on the status of the state’s negotiations with the MBTA were not returned to Maine Public Radio by air time.