Possible Salmonella Contamination on Recalled Ready-to-Eat Salads

Food manufacturers should be cautious in processing ready-to-eat products as contamination presents a serious risk to their consumers. So, before releasing these products out in the market, they must make sure that it is safe and consumers need not to worry about poisoning or catching an illness in them.

Chiquita Brands International subsidiary, Fresh Express, has recently announced recalls of its ready-to-eat salads after one of their products tested positive for Salmonella in one of the random tests conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

(photo credit: ctv.ca)

The Romaine-based products have expiration dates between May 13 and16 and its product code has a letter “S” on it. The products were said to be distributed on the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The company said that it is unlikely that anyone will still consume the salads because of its expiration date but they still want people to discard it immediately to avoid possible contamination.

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2 DWP Utility Crew Workers Face Possible Termination for Misconduct and Negligence

Two utility crew workers are at risk of being terminated by the Department of Water and Power after being caught on video drinking beer while driving a government utility vehicle and spending some time on a strip club to pass time while on the job.

The videos were caught by CBS2 investigative reporters who followed different DWP employees buying liquor and drinking it on their van and spending about two hours inside Alameda Strip – a strip club in Alameda Street.

DWP general manager Austin Beutner said yesterday that the termination process of the two employees has already started and they are also investigating the other employees shown on the video.

The DWP should make sure that due process is given to the employees even if there is incriminating evidence about their misconduct during working hours.

As much as due process is for the benefit of the caught employees, it is also for the employer’s advantage to not rush any decision.

I am pretty sure that they have policies in place to handle these situations and they should be followed.

If the DWP management fails to comply with their own procedures, the fired employees may cry wrongful termination due to not being given their right to due process.

Although the DWP can still defend against such lawsuit, they would still have to spend effort and resources to fight against it.

So DWP can save itself additional headache by following their own rules and regulations.

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Palo Alto Council Members Endorse Own Salary Reduction

Workers are being laid off or required to take furlough days just to address the economic problems that the country is facing today. It is good to know that some people are willing to reduce their own salary just to address the budget crisis in their city.

Palo Alto City Council members have approved a voluntary 10% salary reduction next year, which may affect the whole department, in order to help the city save around $ 7,000.

Reports said this move became possible after three out of the four members of the city’s finance committee voted in favor of it.

Most council members are paid $7,200 while the vice mayor and mayor receives a salary, which is slightly higher compared to it.

Although they will receive a reduced salary, they can still enjoy their vision, dental, and health benefits.

According to reports, this pay cut will not be able to end the city’s $7.3 million budget deficit. Nevertheless, the initiative of these employees is commendable and should be noted.

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Training Sessions for Harassment: State Mandated

Workers have the right to work at an environment free from any hostility and harassment which may affect their work.

Under employment laws in each state, workers can file complaints against their co-workers and employers who are discriminating against them and harassing them by making the work environment hostile and hinder one’s productivity.

To lessen the growing number of harassment complaints, there have been state-mandated training sessions against sexual harassment. These seminars cater to supervisors who are working for companies with at least 50 employees.

These training sessions aim to enlighten supervisors of the dos and don’ts in handling employees and acts that can constitute harassment.

It is important for employers to encourage their personnel to undergo these trainings so that they can assure other employees that sexual harassment or discrimination is not permitted in the workplace.

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