On several days this month, the phones have become inoperable for hours. That leaves more than 100 state workers sitting idle. Phones were down for more than four hours on Jan. 9 while Verizon technicians tried to adjust the phone system to handle more calls, a Labor and Industry spokesman said. Workers say when newly trained staff arrive to handle the overload, some don't have desks. Nineteen workers have been added to the 108 who answer phones at the Philadelphia call center, according to the state.
Some workers have been reassigned from clerical jobs to phone-answering, so the backlog grows.
Workers estimate the office now has a staggering 10,000 backed-up claims. The state has ordered mandatory overtime, including Saturday hours throughout January. A 10-hour day is routine. Vacations this month have been canceled. Workers were even on duty Monday, during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.