Officials say they will try to do what they can to help displaced workers.
By Donna M. Perry
Staff Writer

WILTON – People were stunned by an unexpected, pre-Christmas announcement that the G.H. Bass & Co. Wilton Distribution Center would close. The warehouse is expected to cease operations in May with the first layoffs beginning in March.

It’s another blow for manufacturing in Franklin County. A string of shoe and wood product manufacturers have closed their doors putting hundreds of people out of work, including G.H. Bass & Co.’s shoe manufacturing plants in 1998.

Parent company Phillips-Van Heusen announced late Thursday it would shut down its Maine operations next year eliminating nearly 300 jobs in Wilton and South Portland.

Brown Shoe Co., Inc. also announced Thursday that it had reached an agreement with Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. for an exclusive, long-term license to design, source and market footwear at wholesale under the Bass label.

Employees at the Wilton plant and Wilton Town Manager Peter Nielsen were told Thursday afternoon of the closing.

Nielsen said he had received a call at 1 p.m. Thursday from a Phillips-Van Heusen representative. Three executives from the company arrived at his office at 5 p.m., Nielsen said.

The Bass executives said that there would be 74 workers affected by this at the Wilton plant, Nielsen said, and the warehouse would cease operations in May.

Nielsen noted that an Associated Press story Friday reported that nearly 125 jobs would be eliminated at the Wilton plant.

Nielsen also said that he was told that there were discussions going on that Brown Shoe could possibly continue operations.

“I don’t know if it is a false hope or a realistic one,” Nielsen said.

Maine’s congressional delegation and the East Wilton CareerCenter pledged support to help employees make the transition and retrain, he said.

“We are concerned for the people who are affected by this,” Nielsen said.

The worse-case scenario as far as taxes go, Nielsen said, is the property goes from current taxes to zero. But he is hoping a new owner could be found for the property on Weld Street and the existing operation could continue.

The Weld Street property is valued at $2.58 million and provides nearly $62,000 in tax revenue to Wilton, Nielsen said.

Wilton Distribution Center Manager Steve Barker of Jay declined comment on the closing and referred calls to Dick Mitchell, vice president of human resources for Bass at the South Portland office. Mitchell wasn’t available for comment Friday.

State Rep. Thomas Saviello, D-Wilton, said he was taken by surprise with the announcement.

The company could have at least waited until after Christmas to make it, Saviello said. He’ll be working at the state level to do what he can to help, he said.

“We’ve got to do something,” he said, “to show these companies we want them here.”

Sen. Olympia Snowe stated in a release, “In its 127-year history, Bass has become one of Maine’s best-known trademarks. The closure of this Maine institution is a great loss for the town of Wilton, the city of South Portland and for the state of Maine.”

Snowe stated she would waste no time in ensuring that the workers’ needs are addressed for retraining and other assistance.

“G.H. Bass is a company that has been strongly rooted in Maine and associated with our practical, hardworking, and outdoor way of life,” Sen. Susan Collins stated in a release.

“Its loss is devastating to our state, Maine’s shoemaking heritage and the workers who dedicated years of their life to the business.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, promised in a prepared statement to direct his efforts to the problem. “In the days and weeks ahead, I will work with federal and state labor officials and with town and regional developers, to assist these workers who will lose their jobs,” he stated.

“This is a tremendously difficult time for them and their families.”

dperry@sunjournal.com

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