Thirty-Five Workers Laid Off at Maine Military Authority

(AP) The Maine Military Authority says 35 workers have been laid off because of problems with a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage last month halted the $19 million contract to refurbish 32 commuter buses because the workload was greater than anticipated, making the contract unprofitable.

Efforts to renegotiate the contract are ongoing, and Maine Military Authority Director Hugh Corbett hopes there can be a resolution so employees can return to work soon.

The authority, based at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, is a quasi-state agency that got its start refurbishing military vehicles. Corbett said 27 workers remained after the layoffs.