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As state funding dispute drags on, hundreds flock to CareerLink offices to file unemployment claims

As state funding dispute drags on, hundreds flock to CareerLink offices to file unemployment claims

ALLENTOWN — Layoffs from the state’s unemployment compensation call centers are leading to massive lines of people waiting hours to use special phone lines at CareerLink Lehigh Valley to file claims.

On a typical day, there may have been 10 people using the courtesy phones that are supposed to give faster access to representatives who can process their claims. But that figure has surged past 100 since 521 employees who handled such calls were laid off last month amid a funding dispute between Gov. Tom Wolf and Senate Republicans.

Last week, people spent so much time waiting in line that CareerLink employees brought in pizza, cookies and water for them.

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“It’s bad, it’s really bad. Bills are piling up,” said Michael Forbes of Sellersville, who was among 101 people who showed up Monday morning.

Dozens of workers in this office building in Duquesne take calls and make determinations on unemployment claims filed with the state.
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Mr. Forbes, a construction worker, has been out of work four months since injuring his hand in the chute of a concrete truck. Mr. Forbes was recently told he’d have to reapply for his benefits and it has been two weeks since he last received a check; he’s not sure why.

Mr. Forbes tried calling the state’s toll-free number from home last week, but was met with a busy signal each time, even at 8 a.m. By late Monday morning, he had already spent more than two hours waiting in line at CareerLink on Union Boulevard.

“I just wish they would keep us in the loop,” he said. “It’s like you’re on your own.”

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CareerLink offers resume workshops, free career counseling, job search assistance and interview training, but provides limited guidance to those applying for benefits. Its two designated hotlines are given priority over calls from a regular home line.

Long lines at CareerLink Lehigh Valley have been forming since Dec. 20 when Mr. Wolf said he was forced to shutter three of the state’s eight call centers because Senate Republicans would not extend supplemental funding needed to keep the centers going past the year’s end.

The layoffs included 88 workers from the call center at 160 Hamilton St. in Allentown. Call Centers in Altoona and Lancaster also were closed as a result of the impasse.

Long lines and hours-long wait times also were reported at the CareerLink offices in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, according to a report in the (Scranton) Times-Tribune last week.

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Despite the backlog, as of Monday, the state did not have any plans for a solution.

“We are well aware of the unemployment compensation service situation and doing everything we can given the lack of funding that led to the layoffs of half of our staff who handle calls and process claims,” said Sara Goulet, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Industry.

State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, said he plans to introduce legislation to restore funding when the new legislative session begins later this month.

“We have 500 blue collar workers, 88 of whom are right here in Allentown losing their jobs, and that’s tragic because it was done over politics,” Mr. Schweyer said.

But Senate Republicans say the funding initiated in 2013 was meant to be temporary, and that Mr. Wolf had two years to come up with a plan to make the system operate more efficiently.

“This was the governor’s decision, and his administration’s decision to shut down these centers without a plan,” said Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman.

Last month, Senate Republicans issued a request for an audit of the state’s Labor and Industry Fund, but as of Monday afternoon, Susan Woods, a spokeswoman for state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, said the request was still under consideration.

Department officials are encouraging benefit recipients to take care of as many tasks as possible online, without having to talk to a human being. The state also posted a video and other online tutorials designed to help unemployment claims filers.

There are times, however, when state workers have to speak to someone directly to verify benefits eligibility, said Nancy Dischinat, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Workforce Development Board.

“A lot of people aren’t comfortable and familiar enough to use the computers, and honestly, most people want to talk to someone. It’s just human nature,” Ms. Dischinat said.

It’s already a busy time of year for unemployment claims processors and service representatives because of holiday seasonal work, and other seasonal work such as landscapeing and construction, according to Department of Labor and Industry officials.

First Published: January 11, 2017, 1:49 p.m.

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