PORTLAND, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage hasn’t said just which employer plans to cut or move 900 jobs out of Maine, and neither is anyone else, so far.
LePage said during a talk in Orono on Wednesday night that he expects a major southern Maine employer to cut about 900 jobs because the state’s energy costs create a competitive disadvantage.
“There’s a big company that hasn’t come out yet. I happen to know about it, and I’m sworn to secrecy until they make a public announcement. But we’re talking 900 jobs in the most prosperous part of our state — down south,” LePage said, according to MPBN.
It’s not clear just who that is.
Any employers cutting or relocating 100 or more positions are required by law to file notice with the state’s Department of Labor, regarding any such cuts or moves to happen within 60 days.
Julie Rabinowitz, a spokeswoman from the Department of Labor, said the department has not received any such WARN notices.
“We are not aware of any work our Rapid Response team is doing with a company of that size,” Rabinowitz wrote.
Information from the Maine Department of Labor whittles down the possible candidates, based on the top 25 employers by county, as of the fall of 2015. Cumberland County was the only county where all of the top 25 largest employers had more than 500 employees for that period.
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A third-party company, Infogroup, also provides a look at companies with more than 500 employees in the state, but it’s not clear how recently some of that survey data was taken.
The group of the largest employers statewide includes Hannaford, Wal-Mart, MaineHealth and Bath Iron Works. Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland employs fewer than 900 people but reached a deal last year to sell to ON Semiconductor.
The city of South Portland’s economic development director issued a statement Thursday, saying they cannot confirm whether that’s the company in question, directing questions to the governor’s office.
That has left LePage’s statement Wednesday up to a flurry of speculation about all of the relevant details of the loss of 900 jobs in the southern part of the state.
The governor said the company’s decision hinged on high energy costs. LePage’s energy adviser, Patrick Woodcock, did not respond to a request for comment on the governor’s statement.