Activists gather in downtown Pittsburgh to call for unemployment benefits

PITTSBURGH — Activists gathered Tuesday in front of the Federal Building on Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh to demand action on “illegally halted unemployment benefits.”

The Mon-Valley Unemployed Committee and workers’ rights advocates claim that through mismanagement from the Department of Labor and Industry, thousands of unemployment claimants have reported that their unemployment benefits have been illegally halted, without notice or an opportunity to appeal the decision.

“We demand that the governor take responsibility for his failing unemployment system, that he stop the illegal cut in benefits that his system has done hundreds of thousands of people,” said Barney Oursler, director of the Mon-Valley Unemployed Committee.

They say this is a violation of federal law. So far, the group says, 250 claimants in Western Pennsylvania have been identified.

Activists demanded that Gov. Tom Wolf immediately reinstate the withheld unemployment benefits and address the mismanagement of the unemployment system.

“Our governor needs to know the truth — his own Department of Labor and Industry is grossly mismanaging the unemployment compensation system. While Secretary Berrier professes success with the new BenMod system and publishes misleading claims numbers to legislators, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians know firsthand that the whole system is failing,” Oursler said. “It recently came to light that L&I overcharged interest on unemployment compensation overpayments. Now, they are breaking federal law. They must make amends and pay benefits now. We call on Gov. Wolf to take an active role in fixing the unemployment system and to meet with us to hear what hundreds of thousands of unemployed Pennsylvanians are experiencing.”

It’s not just a flawed system these Pennsylvanians are pointing out, but a system that’s been subject to fraud.

“It’s not the people that are (de)frauding the system, it’s the system that cannot protect our benefits.” Oursler said.

In June, WPXI-TV reported the Department of Labor and Industry warned Pennsylvanians to be vigilant about scam artists targeting the unemployment system. Organizers say they understand that the system was overwhelmed in 2020, but after a year, even the new unemployment system is still failing.

“They hired some folks and what do those folks do? They answer the phone and tell you, ‘well, we can’t help you but we’ll tell you where you are in line, you’re number 212,336 and someday will get somebody to you to help you,’” Oursler said.

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