Weinberg, Corrado want Labor Department workers back in the office

Two prominent State Senators called on Gov. Phil Murphy to order the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to open its offices up for in-person appointments Monday, charging the change was needed to get unemployment claims addressed.

“People are angry. They have paid into the system for years, and now that they need the money, they can’t get it,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck). “Residents who submitted their identifying documents many weeks ago are now being told NJDOL changed the fraud email portal and they will have to start all over. They are going to go back into the queue and will be forced to wait for another month to six weeks for an answer.”

The rate of new unemployment claims filed in New Jersey each week has continuously declined over past months, though some claims remain unfilled. A number claimants contact their legislators for assistance winning unemployment assistance.

Some legislators have privately expressed anger over remote state government workers and an increased workload for staff they said was created by their virtual employment.

“New Jersey residents can walk into a Motor Vehicle Commission location, present the appropriate documentation, and walk out with a drivers’ license,” said State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa). “There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able present their social security cards and photo IDs at unemployment office to prove their identity and have their payments released.”

Gov. Phil Murphy has so far demurred on when state workers might return to their offices. Many state employees have worked from home for much of the last year.

“Too many people who should be receiving unemployment payments are still being caught in a maze of bureaucratic ineptitude,” Corrado said. “If the Department of Labor was a business, they would be bankrupt. We cannot tolerate any more delays that prevent families from receiving the benefits they have earned.”