Here it is, bonus time again, and once again the little guys take the hit. My brother called me recently and told me he had a Christmas present from Bath Iron Works. He has been laid off. In the meantime, BIW is hiring replacements at half the hourly rate my brother had earned.

BIW is laying off 150 or so people. They are hiring others in materials and support. Old-timers who know and do their jobs at $18 an hour are being replaced with new employees at $9 an hour. The excuse is that BIW is more expensive than Ingalls. Well, duh, BIW has always been more expensive, but if I had to go to sea, I would far prefer a Bath-built ship.

When are the people of Maine going to stop this insanity? Get that lowlander out – send him back to Connecticut where he belongs and get someone in who knows how to build ships and has his eyes focused on that goal, not his own bonus.

Jim Wells, Norwich, Conn.