Funding lapse jeopardizes unemployment program in Pennsylvania
Usually in November, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry temporarily beefs up staffing at eight service centers that process claims for unemployment compensation. The busy season for layoffs and job cuts tends to be December through January.
But on Thursday — with a gaping hole in expected funding — the agency announced it would lay off nearly 600 people from its unemployment centers, a move that the labor department warned could bring the system to the brink of collapse.
The announcement came one day after the state Senate declined to vote on a bill that would have provided $58 million in administrative funding for the department through next year.
“There is simply not enough money to pay staff,” said Kathy Manderino, the department’s secretary, in a statement on Thursday. “The Senate put politics before people and now 600 employees will be without a job just before the holidays. It’s beyond disappointing; it’s disgraceful.”
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2016/11/17/Wolf-says-jobless-centers-will-close-over-funding-shortfall/stories/201611170183
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