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• Anonymous

  Between this and Barber Foods announcement earlier today – there go 150 jobs.  This economy is getting scary. It’s actually amazing how fast the U.S. economy has gone down the drain. And I don’t think it’s coming back.

• Anonymous

  obviously, global contact services and barber foods still think baldacci is in the blaine house.  there is no way they would scuttle their operations in maine if they honestly believed lepage was governor and republicans controlled the state house.

• Anonymous

  Way to go LePage.  Your such a joke.

• Kevin_Of_Bangor

  I thought they had already shut down when they lost a huge contract a year or so ago.

• Kevin_Of_Bangor

  They call center in Orono is hiring up to 200 people. I know a person that has been out of work for over a year that landed a job there. The drive from Pittsfield to Orono is not that long.

• Anonymous

  Nexxlinx needs all the people we can get!  One of our clients has asked us to hire that many people by the 25th of this month.  Come fill out an application, we can probably get you interviewed probably that day or the next.  We’re right off exit 193.

• Kevin_Of_Bangor

  Runnybabbit I am employed but you should re-post the info as a separate post.

• Anonymous

  And the Governor is responsible for Global Contact Services closing its doors how????

• Anonymous

  You’re a joke. And I’m not correcting your spelling. I mean, you are a joke.

• Anonymous

  There are a number of reasons that a client would cease doing business with a particular company.  Perhaps the client may not have been satisfied with the service they were getting.  Maybe cost of doing business was too high and the client found another more cost effective vendor.  I’m pretty sure that the governor didn’t have anything to do with these business decisions.  

• Anonymous

  Now that I’m used to talking to India or China….It’s just dang hard talking American about my problems…..  Maybe a Down Eastah accent would float my boat.

• Anonymous

  What do they pay, about 8 bucks an hour?  Last time I checked, India and Pakistan were our two biggest competitors in the call center business.  In 10 years no America will work in them, unless they happen to speak Chinese.

• Anonymous

  Quoting: “Simons didn’t know what if anything former employees would be offered for new opportunities or compensation.”
  I do: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

• Anonymous

  More Maine jobs bye bye. Where is LePage ?????????????? Guess he is still working on jobs programs, but forget about the jobs.

• Tyke

  Well, whenever there is news about any company adding jobs or moving to Maine, even if it had been negotiated by the prior administration, it elicits many pro Lepage posts claiming he has brought jobs to Maine – yippee!  So if he is the “owner”of every new job then the converse must be true, every job lost must ALSO be his responsibility, right?

• Anonymous

  thats what the past 35years of liberal thinking has done to a premier manufacturing state like maine.. they have turned it into a service state…..easy to close and move anywhere in the world. keep dreaming your tourism and call centers … mbna of the world… will keep us alfoat… if you do not manufacture and produce and sell a product you will die. you can keep being a consumer

• http://twitter.com/TheGuardianMH The Guardian

  Boy that was mean :(

• Kevin_Of_Bangor

  They are supposed to pay between 9 and 15 an hour and I would take that over no job at all.

  While 9 an hour would be hard for me to survive on at least Maine would not revoke my D/L for not making child support payments.

• Anonymous

  If this was a mystery story, the title would be, The Case of the Vanishing Jobs.

• Anonymous

  Surprised they lasted this long Look at the client base  Most of them have  been or are in financial trouble  What would be the chances of the outfit in Orono expanding down to Pittsfield?

• Anonymous

  Tyke to some extent you are correct. I give his administration credit for assisting with the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket. But not the additional jobs at the call center in Orono.

  But he (and his administration) had nothing to do with the job losses in Pittsfield. That was the result of a lost contract and lack of additional work.

• Anonymous

  Maine was a premier manufacturing state? When? Yes we had some paper and textile mills, some shoe factories maybe even some furniture manufacturing companies and some canneries but to call Maine a premier manufacturing state seems a bit of of a stretch to me. Are you really trying to blame the demise of the shoe factories , the textile industry and the manufacture of wooden spools on Liberals? Really? I know it is nice to be able to point the finger at a certain group and blame them for all that is wrong in the world, but I think you are way off base blaming any group for the down fall of manufacturing in the State of Maine. 

• Anonymous

  If you ask to speak to someone who has better English skills, you will be connected to someone in America – you just have to demand it, politely, but firmly.

  I have done that in several instances, and always wound up with a genuine home grown American.

• Anonymous

  All the more reason for government stimulus–to keep the American people from being hostage to the extreme profit motive of huge corporations and corrupt banks like Wall Street’s AIG.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TJYZV7JWWJCPG7BX65EM6UOHZ4 Skowhegan Resident

  Dont worry, fireworks,pot dispensaries ,gambling are all coming to save Maines future

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OEFDEYGJYWX3MMI4S2QHDC5DXA Thistle

  Thank you for posting that info here.

  I hope it leads to some good fortune for a reader or two here.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OEFDEYGJYWX3MMI4S2QHDC5DXA Thistle

  Yeah.  My wife tried that when United Airlines flew our bags to Shannon, Ireland when we flew to Chicago.

  While speaking with someone in the Phillipines, my wife demanded to be transferred to someone who spoke better English.

  She was forwarded to India.

• TeaParty_aka_AmericanTaliban

  You should probably post the pay, hours and whether it is permanent or temporary.  

• Anonymous

  Like Solyndra, right?  I suspect that you’re only seeing out of your left eye.

• Anonymous

  Thank you, Heather Blease.

• Anonymous

   And just how many jobs are “Permanent” anymore ?
  ZERO !
  So Work now when you can get it ’cause tomorrow it will be gone.

• Anonymous

   What have you been smoking?

• Jazz11

  Yea, keep the Philippines working. The new (Wall Street) American way.

• Anonymous

  Nice reasoning. What are you 12?

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KJEUWEYRHIPWV3PTTWWNUZ2CTQ mcmaineacjam

  I get it, you hate former Governor Baldacci. I doubt this company is living in the past and who is governor had nothing to do with this. If you look at the clients, they are mostly credit card companies and banks. I am thinking one of these banks will be seeking another taxpayer bailout in the next year, in spite of excessive  bonuses and raises given to senior management. I also would not doubt to see the Republicans push it through.

• Anonymous

  Does the 60 day notice or TAA apply here?Probably not.What a shame for the families.

• Anonymous

  At $4 a gallon for gas, how is someone going to be able to commute from Pittsfield to Orono for a $8 an hour job? These are McJobs anyway. Let the kids at UMO have them.

• Anonymous

  Anyone else suspect that they are hiring at their new Philippine facility?

• Anonymous

  Both liberals and conservatives had their heads in the sand (or hands in someone else’s wallet) when it came to the real impact of “globalization”.  Lots of opportunities for lawyers, banks and middlemen.. not so much for everyone else.  Competing with the third world is a race to the bottom.

• Anonymous

  That is sad anywhere, but even more so here in Maine. That probably equates to about 10%of Maine’s total taxpaying work force.

• Anonymous

  When your standing in the unemployment line, it doesn’t matter why it happened or who made it happen, you just know it’s REAL and it will hurt.  Hang in there, somewhere is another company that will be looking for some great employees in that area–I just hope it’s sooner than later. 

• Anonymous

  not near as much of a joke as you money sucking libs.

• Anonymous

  no you are  a  joke like it is the governors fault this happened

• Conley Raye

  No wonder so many people are packing up and heading south, now. I thought, it was to escape the bad weather and be able to walk around in short sleeves, day or night. Now, I see it is all about survival.

• Anonymous

  Gee Obama how is that jobs program working out for you?

• Anonymous

  Maybe a dose of “Who Moved My Cheese” is in order.

• Anonymous

  Gov Lapage what do you have to say about this?  What do you care as long as your daughter has a job. 

• Anonymous

  SpruceDweller the last “stimulus” package was designed for “shovel ready” jobs so unemployment would not exceed 8%. How well did that work for us as a country? Why do you think a second round of “stimulus” money would do any better?

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4B3OAFVEPAC6G43SIV5BL4TESE Sweetcheeks

  this is why you cannot put republicans in charge of anything. the strange and modern world frightens and confuses them. liberal demons are everywhere!

• Anonymous

  Skowhegan Resident you always have something negative to say about everything. What are your suggestions to turn Maine around?

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4B3OAFVEPAC6G43SIV5BL4TESE Sweetcheeks

  mommy didn’t give enough love apparently.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4B3OAFVEPAC6G43SIV5BL4TESE Sweetcheeks

  exactly.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4B3OAFVEPAC6G43SIV5BL4TESE Sweetcheeks

  yes lepage will make maine a shining city on the hill…

• Anonymous

  Eventually, the India’s and the Pakistans will catch up with us, you know, programs such as social sec., medicaid, medicare, unemployment compensation, workman’s comp, health care and it won’t be so cheap to do business in those countries any more. We are at a disadvantage now because of all our mandates.  Not saying they are not necessary just saying we have em they add to our costs to do business and other countries don’t yet have all these “safety nets”.

• Anonymous

  If you think a call center job is going to pay $15/hr, I’ve got a nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

• Anonymous

  I think both the Dems and Reps have been corrupted.  I’m independent.

• Anonymous

  You mean the Obama bailout to Wall Street?  Or the Bush bailout to Wall Street?  Over a trillion in bailout to crooks and liars isn’t stimulus, it’s corruption.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4B3OAFVEPAC6G43SIV5BL4TESE Sweetcheeks

  silence from the right during  the biggest recession since 1929, that started in 2007 right? like when bush asked what is going on, how did this happen? like when bush rushed to rubberstamp tarp? let’s put things in perspective. 2 republican wars of choice fought for the first time ever on credit. but lets scream and wail about solyndra, riiiight???

• Anonymous

  TARP was President G.W. Bush’s bailout of the major brokerage houses, housing, etc…

  The “Stimulus Package” proposed by President Obama and passed by Congress was “designed” for “shovel ready projects” and was said to keep unemployment under 8.8% (Source – http://www.economy.com/mark-zandi/documents/The_Job_Impact_of_the_American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Plan.pdf)

  So I will ask again:
  How well did that work for us as a country?

   Why do you think a second round of “stimulus” money would do any better?

• Anonymous

  So you are saying that more rules and regulation most of which are targeted at businesses to collect more fees ,taxes and fines are whats keeps all the manufacturing jobs in maine and the usa… At some ppoint a business owner will move to better pastures…Yup.. many products were produced in this over the past 100 yrs. regulations/ taxation sure did not help. even our workforce moved out replaced with environment groups,  flower children and a large population of non workers. the taxpyers are being outnumbered by the people who get handouts … business is moving out  who to pay the taxes. each one of you will face higher portion of the burden of this state… many  are of the mentality who want toilet tissue and paper to write on without cutting trees. forget that these resources have been cut for hundred or yrs and have somehow grown back on thier own…

• Anonymous

  Sounds somewhat premier to me! What politician or community these days wouldn’t drool over any one of these businesses?

• Anonymous

  Bush

• Anonymous

  Do you think that America was once a third world country??? How did we grow to be #1… What happened?? Who is to blame. Must be the businesses right! It must be the leaders and not the followers that ruin everything ….

• Anonymous

  My view is summarized in the wiki article, under “Recommendations by economists,” where I side with Nobel prize winners Stiglitz and  Krugman–the stimulus was not enough and inadequately designed:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009

  As I said, I think both Dems and Reps are corrupted by Wall Street.

  Obama’s ARRA did extend unemployment benefits, and provide jobs through infrastructure development.  He also salvaged GM and Chrysler.  It wasn’t enough–and Republicans diluted its effectiveness, too:

  “Republicans forced a near unprecedented level of changes (near $150
  billion) in the House bill which had more closely followed the Obama
  plan. The biggest losers were states (severely restricted Stabilization Fund) and the low income workers (reduced tax credit) with major gains for the elderly (largely left out of the Obama and House plans) and high income tax-payers.”

• Anonymous

  I will agree that the Dems and Reps are the biggest issue we have. But the truth of the matter is as long as we have one party constantly attempting to show up the other one nothing will get done.

  The Dems did it with President G.W. Bush and now the Reps are doing it to President Obama.

• Anonymous

  Even if it isn’t a lot of money, paying SOMETHING back into the system is good for everyone! Right now more is being paid out of Social Security, unemployment etc so anything going back in protects the worker and the rest of us!

• PabMainer

  Agree with the “blaming” aspects of your post but you need to do some history on Maine’s manufacturing past and current….in the mid to late 1800′s the towns / cities of Biddeford, Saco and Westbrook were built and grew on the manufacture of textiles and silk….the largest textile mill in the country was built in Saco and the industry was vibrant in these areas for over 100 years…along with textiles, forest products actually lead the country and other parts of the world in production from around the 1860′s into the 1900′s…..in the 1920′s Aroostook County was the leading potato producer in the U.S. helped out largely
  by the railroads connection with a larger market…..Maine’s lobster
  catch has been and is the largest of any other state…shoe manufacturing was extremely vibrant and competitive across the
  country….Paper manufacturing is actually 2nd in the country only to
  Wisconsin and along with other industry like boat building and hide
  manufacturing built many of the towns where they do or once existed….in better times economically, manufacturing was responsible for one job in every three and an estimated 5 to 7 jobs were once created by one paper manufacturing job…. Maine’s manufacturing economy produces today one out of every ten jobs….today tourism supports more jobs than any other industry and we are seeing the worst of economic times regarding jobs, pay, housing, energy, gas prices, etc….calling Maine a “Premire manufacturing state” was most definitely something that could be said…not any more though…..

• Anonymous

  I wonder, is our glib Governor taking credit for all of the jobs we are losing as well as the handful he claims he has “created?’  The proof is in the pudding isn’t it?  

• Anonymous

  I tried that once with India and got nowhere. They speak pretty good English but their comprehension of the language is terrible.  If your problem isn’t in their script, they don’t know what to do. My problem was an HP printer. I finally wrote to the CEO of the company and got some action, and a new printer.

• Anonymous

  There are a little over 3,000 people in Pittsfield, according to their website. To lose 65 jobs is catastrophic for this little community.  I graduated from MCI and enjoyed my time in Pittsfield, it’s a nice town. I hope something better comes along for these out of work  people, job wise.

• Anonymous

  Yea, right- it’s Bush’s fault.  Barak Obama, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and Co. had nothing to do with it.

• Liberal Soup N Crackers

  Welcome to the Obama economy, Pittsfield.

• Liberal Soup N Crackers

  The WARN Act does not apply to employers of less than 100 employees.

• Anonymous

  Are you really trying to compare the manufacturing base in Maine to that of the “rust belt” states? I didn’t say Maine didn’t have manufacturing. What I questioned was calling Maine a “Premiere” manufacturing state. Yes Maine along with NH and Mass were major textile manufacturing centers which I mentioned in my original post. But Maine’s  manufacturing capacity was and still is small when compared to the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

• Anonymous

  How in the world are you able to get, “So you are saying that more rules and regulation most of which are targeted at businesses to collect more fees ,taxes and fines are whats keeps all the manufacturing jobs in maine and the usa…”, from my questioning your characterization of Maine as a “Premiere Manufacturing State”? While you have every right to YOUR opinion on any subject do not attempt to put words into my mouth. Apparently you feel very strongly that finger pointing will in some manner cure what is wrong with our State and Country. Good luck with that. 

• PabMainer

  Apparently I have wasted my time giving you facts…..will not happen again…..

• Anonymous

  I’m willing to bet alot of those layed off were commuting from waterville already.  So you can add another 27  min to that 1 hour commute as well.

• Anonymous

  You’re right.  My husband used to travel over an hour to work and back.

• Anonymous

  It WAS premier for this small State and I remember when they were all booming.  Now they are ALL gone.

• Anonymous

  And your  a former mainer correct

• Anonymous

  Social Security would last forever if S.S. payments from employees continued to the top of the salary ladder.  They now stop at $104,000 (or close to that), so those making the least pay the most – - as usual!.

  Also, if those making over, say, $250,000 a year after retirement would not get Soc. Sec., that would relieve some of the pressure.

  Social Security is not paid out of general taxes – it’s been wrongly parasitized by Congress although it’s always been a separate account that is meant only for Social Security payments, not general spending. 

  Social Security money, even though Congress has stolen money from it, is still not in trouble for at least another 30-40 years, even without some kind of reform to make the well-to-do pay their share.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3ESJPP2RRNWCNJU6DSQBDHD6WA 'TARD!

  LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!!

  SHUT. UP.

• Anonymous

  Nice try, but wrong again. Left 6 years ago thinking I was retiring. Moved back 3 years ago. 

• Anonymous

  I can tell you as a former employee of Global Contact Services that you are correct in your assumption as to whether we would be offered new opportunities. We were told on Friday afternoon that at 9p.m. we would all be out of jobs. The best advice we got was to call the unemployment office and sign up for unemployment with the reason being that we are displaced workers. Our boss wasn’t even told they were shutting down until Friday. How’s that for “doing all they can for their employees”? Just sayin’…

• TeaParty_aka_AmericanTaliban

  If there are two jobs available and one is only for extra help until after Christmas and the other is permanent, meaning long term then the logical choice would be to pursue the permanent job and not the temporary one.  

• Anonymous

  Thanks.I figured if it wasn’t mentioned it didn’t apply.

• Anonymous

  There isn’t much in or around the town. I know the local Dysart’s is hiring, Mobile (by the interstate) might still be… And whatever company takes over that building, if any, will have opportunities. But really, that’s it. Palmyra’s Wal*Mart has a few openings, I think. But they’ve been filling those positions at a pretty good pace.

  I was a 1-day employee at GCS, after training. I had a bad feeling about the job, but needed the money, etc. But as a 4-year journalism student at NESCom, I quickly learned that I couldn’t do the things they were asking of me. Had it just been sales and polling during political season, I probably would’ve been fine. But with some of the scripts I was being asked to go along with… Ethically, I couldn’t (granted, quitting on morning #2 wasn’t the most ethical decision ever, but live and learn.)

  Like you, I also hope these people find new jobs. The unfortunate reality is… Many won’t – or at least, many won’t right off. Some may have to really travel to find work.

• Anonymous

  Nope, they had picked up another bigtime entity. I think going into specifics might violate some sort of contract I signed before my (very very brief) employment there… So I can’t say too much more, but I’m pretty sure the contract they lost this time was crippling to the entire chain.

• Anonymous

  The blame belongs to us all.  There is no free lunch.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.  Greed is good. 

  Remember, desire is the cause of all suffering.

• Anonymous

   A better way is to pursue BOTH, as one may fall through.
  If offered both, then see if scheduling can accommodate working Both.
  One can and should Always be looking for a better position.

• Anonymous

  Tell me Punjab, How many Bengali’s does it take to screw in a light bulb?
  .
  Oh tell me, tell me Rajah I do not know.