Don't forget to sign up for the Debix Identity Prevention service to protect yourself from risks created by FairPoint's loss of your personal information. http://www.debix.com/safe or 866-979-2597
Hope everyone had a great and safety 4th of July weekend, here are some food safety tips.
Concord, NH – During this busy summer season of trips to the beach, vacations, and cookouts, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Bureau of Food Protection wants to remind everyone to follow some important food safety practices to avoid food borne illnesses, such as Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.
There are an estimated 76 million cases of food borne disease, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year in the United States. “Food is an important part of vacation and holiday gatherings but it needs to be handled safely, especially during the warmer weather,” said Dr. Jose Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “The basic rule is keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.”
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The above DHHS video on summer grilling food safety is now available on YouTube. There are some simple precautions everyone should always take to reduce the possibility of becoming sick when preparing food, which include:
Separate: Use a separate cutting board for cooked foods and raw foods (especially meat) and always wash them after use. Avoid cross contamination. Wash any utensil after preparing one food item before going on to the next item.
Clean: Always wash hands before touching any food. Wash hands and surfaces often during food preparation and afterward.
Cook: Make sure all meats are thoroughly cooked by using a meat thermometer: turkey, stuffing, and casseroles to 165ºF; veal, beef, and lamb roasts to 145ºF; and ham, pork, ground beef, and egg dishes to 160ºF. When reheating, leftovers should be thoroughly heated to 165ºF.
Chill: Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. One hour if it is a hot day over 90ºF. The refrigerator should be maintained at 40ºF or lower and the freezer should be at 0ºF or lower. Keep hot foods hot, 140ºF or hotter, and cold foods cold, 40ºF or below. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold-water bath, or in the microwave. When using a microwave, meat must be cooked immediately after. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.
Report: Report suspected food borne illnesses to the NH Department of Health and Human Services by calling 603-271-4496. Often calls from concerned citizens are how outbreaks are first detected. If a public health official calls you to talk about an outbreak, your cooperation is important, even if you are not ill.
This is another safety reminder as we finish up this most recent storm. All techs working in the field must complete initial and ongoing voltage detector testing for any electrical potential hazard during the job. Have all Personal Protective Equipment in place according to our safety procedures. This is even more important during storm and storm recovery conditions.
Also, be aware of the safety practices of those companies with whom we are working side-by-side. Be aware of the potential for conflicting safety practices and always adhere to the practices we utilize. Regardless of the company, be it power, cable TV or tree maintenance; be especially conscious of your safety requirements.
If you have any safety concerns ask the question and do not hesitate to call the safety coaches Dave Coates (603) 703-9007 or John Murphy (603) 493-5393.Please share this message with people that do not have ready access to email.
Your safety comes first
Method to request January 2009 pay stubs from Verizon
Written by Stephen Chavanelle
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 08:39
All members who want to get a copy of the January 2009 pay stubs, you need to send a fax request to 703-886-0673. This number is to Verizon payroll. The info they want on your request form is: your name, Social Security Number, the info you are requesting, the urgency of you request, how you want to receive the info (fax, email, or mail), and send the request ATTN: Special Pay. You can use the attached form as your formal request. Just circle the way you want your info and add in the missing information. The Urgency I used was ASAP trying to complete taxes. Verizon email them to me within 2 hours from my request. Hope this helps everyone.
W-2 statements for 2009 have been issued and mailed for the 2009 tax year. If you registered for online W-2 delivery with CIC Plus before January 15th, your electronically delivered W-2 was made available on January 20th.
Corrected W-2 Statements for State Wages If you lived and worked in the same state all year, your State Wages and Federal Wages (boxes 1 and 16) should be the same. You may receive a corrected W-2 if your State Wages (box 16) are less than your Federal Wages (Box 1). A correction to State Wages may need to be made for employees who received a Group Term Life Benefit. This benefit is labeled “Grp Insu Income” on your statement of earnings, pay slip, pay statement or pay stub. Group Term Life Insurance is a FairPoint provided benefit. This benefit was not set up properly for State Wages which resulted in under reported State Wage on your W-2.
You will be notified by February 5th if it’s determined you need a correction of your W-2 due to the Group Term Life Benefit. Corrected W-2s for State Wages (box 16) will be postmarked or made available electronically by February 5th. The W-2 will be labeled as “CORRECTED” at the top of each coupon.
If you worked or resided in more than one state in 2009, your State Wages and Federal Wages (boxes 1 and 16) may differ due to State Tax differences. Please email
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or call 207.648.3078 if you have questions about your State Wages.
W-2c Statements for Other Issues If you have other questions about your W-2, please email us at
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or call 207.648.3078. If necessary, a W-2c will be issued to you.
If you have already spoken with someone in Payroll regarding your W-2 and they confirmed that a W-2c would be issued, you will receive confirmation directly from Payroll either via email or by phone that the form has been completed and the postmark date for the new form or when it will be available to you electronically. The W-2c statement will be labeled “W-2c” and only boxes that have been corrected will be populated on the form.
Additional Information You will receive a single W-2 statement from FairPoint for 2009. This W-2 will include the wages paid through Verizon payroll in January 2009.
Your final 2009 statement of earnings (also called a pay slip, pay statement or pay stub) may not match your W-2. This is due to how the balances were transferred from Verizon’s payroll system into the FairPoint payroll system. Some pay items were brought over as a lump sum taxable value, not individual line items. There were earnings that were not initially brought over, such as Holiday for January 1st. The missing earnings were identified and adjustments were made to add them to your W-2. The amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld may be higher on your W-2 than on your last pay statement as a result of these adjustments. The differences between your last 2009 pay statement and your 2009 W-2 do not affect your 2010 pay check. The differences were due to the 2009 data conversion.Please email
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or call 207.648.3078 if you have questions about your W-2.
Proposed Rating Class
Written by Stephen Chavanelle
Friday, 29 January 2010 10:08
Brothers Steven Soule and Stephen Chavanelle are gauging interest in a future class for the Journeyman's Rating. A past class starting last September consisted of nine weekly two hour classes covering the breadth of the examination's subject matter. Please contact Brother Soule at (603) 660-1610 or Brother Chavanelle at (603) 396-1972 if you are interested. A Central Office Technician who is willing to teach is also being sought.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 10 February 2010 20:34
Transition of Care
Written by Gail Badger
Wednesday, 13 January 2010 12:32
If you are covered by a different medical insurance carrier (CIGNA or BCBS NC) in 2010 in 2010 than in the past, you may need to arrange the transition to the new providers. Have you received a prior authorization for treatment or services in 2009? If yes, please call to transition those services to your new carrier.
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