FairPoint cuts 90 northern New England jobs

FairPoint to lay off 90 workers in northern New England

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- FairPoint Communications Inc. is laying off 90 union-represented workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

FairPoint says the layoffs will occur over the next several months. They come on top of the elimination of 30 management positions last month.

FairPoint anticipates paying out $5 million to $8 million in severance and incentive payments to the laid-off workers, and says the workforce reduction should save the company $11 million in annual expenses.

FairPoint is based in Charlotte, N.C., and provides Internet, landline telephone and other telecommunications services in 17 states.

Its largest holdings by far are in northern New England, where it has about 1,200 employees in Maine, about 1,100 in New Hampshire and nearly 500 in Vermont.