ME DOT: Plow Drivers Walked Out Of Interviews Over Pay

When they found out what they would be paid, many decided the long hours were not worth their time.

This winter was absolutely brutal. We're approaching the middle of the fifth month of 2019, and snow is in the forecast for extreme northern sections of New Hampshire and Maine this weekend. The Maine Department of Transportation doesn't want a repeat of what went down this past winter.

Job candidates walking out of interviews.

It happened more than once. Maine DOT worker Payson Wiers told WGME News 13. “People are having a hard time looking at a state job that's only going to pay them $14 an hour."

The job market for drivers is more lucrative on the local level. Private companies offer up to $25 an hour. However, relief could be on the horizon with a $2 an hour raise for highway workers. According to WGME News 13, the Maine State Employees Union supports a bill that would allot close to $13 million of Maine DOT funds over the next two years.

Maine DOT leaders are against the bill. Maine DOT Deputy Commissioner Nina Fisher told WGME "We oppose any legislation that earmarks our funding." She noted it isn't about the pay raise, it's about being told how to spend their budgeted money.