logo
L&I assists thousands with unemployment compensation claims

L&I assists thousands with unemployment compensation claims

Yahoo02-06-2025
Jun. 1—WILKES-BARRE — Now in its third year, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's (L&I) UC Connect program continues to provide essential, in-person assistance to Pennsylvanians looking for help navigating the Unemployment Compensation (UC) system.
Since its launch in May 2022, UC Connect has helped more than 106,000 Pennsylvanians resolve claims, navigate eligibility issues, and connect to community-based resources, helping more than 700 people in April 2025 alone.
Offered at PA CareerLink locations statewide, UC Connect appointments are tailored to claimants who lack reliable internet, are unfamiliar with digital systems, or need language support. With sustained demand for in-person help, L&I has embedded UC Connect into its long-term customer service model.
"As UC Connect enters its third year, it remains a necessary and effective tool for delivering unemployment services equitably," said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. "In-person support ensures that no Pennsylvanian is left out of the system simply because they don't have access to broadband or need help understanding the process. L&I has expanded UC Connect's services and took the initiative statewide, and it's clear that our efforts are making a difference in delivering faster, better service for Pennsylvanians."
After initially launched as a pilot program in 2022, UC Connect was made a permanent service through bipartisan investments in the 2023 — 24 budget, enabling L&I to hire more than 380 UC interviewers to expand service delivery across Pennsylvania.
Unemployment Compensation system update
The Department first eliminated a backlog of 40,000 claims from the pandemic era — each requiring case-by-case review — within seven months. The Department then shifted focus to scaling up staff, reducing wait times, and improving access for all Pennsylvanians.
Key service highlights from April 2025 include:
—Average call wait time was reduced to 18 minutes and 56 seconds.
—5,321 live chat sessions were completed—an increase from the same time last year
—44,077 new UC claims were filed
—$157 million in UC benefits was paid to 99,518 individuals
—86,616 helpline calls were answered
—13,965 email inquiries were processed
—709 individuals received in-person assistance through UC Connect
Since the beginning of 2025, L&I has paid out $784 million in UC benefits to more than 483,000 individuals, responded to 361,258 helpline calls, and provided 3,112 UC Connect appointments.
Risk-limiting audit of 2025 primary election begins
The Department of State this week began Pennsylvania's statewide risk-limiting election audit (RLA) of the May 20 primary.
"This is our sixth statewide risk-limiting audit since the 2022 general election," Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. "RLAs are proven to be the highest standard of comprehensive election audits because the RLA process provides a statistically sound, scientific method for confirming, with a high degree of confidence, that the reported outcome of the audited election is accurate."
Schmidt said 10 Department employees took turns rolling 10-sided dice to deliver the random 20-digit "seed number," which is used to determine which batches of ballots counties will audit over the next several days.
A random-selection drawing on May 23, resulted in the selection of the contest for the Republican nomination for Judge of Commonwealth Court for this RLA.
During the audit, county officials will hand-tally the randomly selected ballot batches, then compare those vote counts to the original machine counts for the selected race. Known as a "batch comparison" type of RLA, this pre-certification audit can confirm whether counties accurately tabulated paper ballots so that a full hand count would produce the same reported outcome.
The RLA will be carried out in addition to the 2% statutorily required review that counties must perform after each primary and general election in Pennsylvania. For that review, county officials are required to conduct a statistical recount of a random sample of at least 2% of all ballots cast, or 2,000 ballots, whichever is fewer.
Counties must complete the RLA by June 5, and they must certify all election results to Schmidt by June 9.
Fetterman joins push to return stolen art to Holocaust survivors
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, is pushing legislation to help survivors of the Holocaust and their families reclaim tens of thousands of pieces of artwork stripped from them by the Nazis.
The bill, sponsored by Fetterman and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, attempts to smooth the legal process for these survivors or their heirs as they petition the courts for return of the art, according to a news release.
Though Congress passed a bill with the same aim nearly a decade ago, some museums, institutions and governments have stonewalled and battled families in their reclamation efforts, Fetterman's office said.
"Some 80 years after the Holocaust, we have a moral responsibility to do right by the victims of these atrocities and their families," Fetterman said in a statement.
The proposal extends the original Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, which is set to expire at the end of 2026. Recognizing the difficulty of tracking down artwork stolen during the Holocaust, Congress in 2016 passed the act to give families six years to file a legal claim for a piece after they've located it.
The new bill backed by Fetterman also seeks to make sure families' court claims get fair consideration on their merits rather than being dismissed over technicalities, the release stated.
During the Holocaust, Nazi Germany seized hundreds of thousands of pieces of artwork from Jewish people. While the U.S. and other allied nations have tried to restore these valuables to their rightful owners, more than 100,000 pieces still have not been given back, according to Fetterman's office.
Fetterman is co-sponsoring the bill introduced by U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut.
DCNR: Free menstrual products available in 68 state parks
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn this week was joined by First Lady Lori Shapiro and members of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Next Generation Engagement to announce a new initiative that makes free menstrual products available in 68 state parks across Pennsylvania.
The products are now stocked in park offices, visitor centers, and environmental educational centers at participating parks, offering a convenient and essential resource for visitors.
Signage in English and Spanish helps park-goers locate where products are available. This effort is part of the Shapiro Administration's broader work to make public spaces across the Commonwealth more accessible and supportive for all.
The announcement coincides with Menstrual Hygiene Day — highlighting the importance of addressing period poverty through public policy and access.
"I've been so inspired by all the young women I've met who are making their voices heard and starting conversations on period poverty — talking so comfortably about something that, for so long, has been a taboo subject," said First Lady Shapiro. "Thanks to them speaking up, Pennsylvania has taken some major steps to ensure more women have access to basic hygiene supplies throughout the day. I want everyone to be able to enjoy their time outdoors, and DCNR's work to get free menstrual products in the bathrooms and visitor offices of our state parks is critical to making our outdoor spaces welcoming to everyone."
"No one should have to cut an outdoor adventure short because of their period — DCNR has you covered," said Secretary Dunn. "We are committed to creating inclusive, welcoming outdoor spaces — and that means meeting people's basic needs without stigma or barriers."
DCNR will evaluate the program's success and expand it to additional park locations in the future.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

D.C. Council Signs Off on a Tipped-Wage ‘Compromise'
D.C. Council Signs Off on a Tipped-Wage ‘Compromise'

Eater

timean hour ago

  • Eater

D.C. Council Signs Off on a Tipped-Wage ‘Compromise'

The city's nearly decade-long debate on how to pay tipped restaurant workers came to a head around dinnertime on Monday, July 28, when the D.C. Council narrowly voted (7-5) for a new 'compromise' amendment to keep the tipped wage in place, for now, without stripping Initiative 82 entirely. For Jonathan Nelms, the owner of D.C.'s first Georgian restaurant Supra, 'I-82 has been the biggest contributing factor to our going from being a profitable restaurant to losing money last year.' But proponents of the hotly contested issue say Monday night's move essentially waters down the D.C. voter-approved ballot initiative that was designed to bring the base wage for tipped workers up to the level of the minimum wage by 2027. The newly passed amendment partially repeals Initiative 82, a contentious law in effect since 2023 that would have eventually eliminated the city's 'tipped minimum' wage and would require employers to make up for the rest. If I-82 went on as planned, the tipped minimum wage would have gone up from $10 to $12 on July 1. The D.C. Council paused that increase during an emergency vote in early June. Under the newly passed amendment co-sponsored by councilmembers Christina Henderson and Charles Allen, the current base wage for tipped workers will stay put at $10 until July 2026. After that, it will slowly tick up every two years as a percentage of the regular minimum wage until it reaches 75 percent of the full minimum wage by 2034. There were a number of last-minute amendments on the overall 2026 budget bill, but the partial repeal of pay equity for restaurant workers sparked a chaotic uproar inside the Wilson Building. Those in support of keeping I-82 in its original form swiftly disrupted proceedings with a shouting match, causing Council chair Phil Mendelson to call upon D.C. Protective Services police force to clear protestors from the building and lock down the chambers. Smaller restaurants did not embrace 1-82, and owners came out of the woodwork in full force for a marathon testimony hearing in June that lasted well over eight hours. Eric Heidenberger, whose hospitality group runs of Shaw's Tavern, 801, Prost DC, Madhatter, the Bottom Line, and Vagabond, says I-82 has 'made it near impossible for a small, independent operator to make ends meet,' noting a few of his locations have experienced a 30-percent decline in customer foot traffic since I-82's implementation. American standby Brookland's Finest closed after a decade this spring, in part, due to payroll challenges Initiative 82 presents. Brookland's Finest 'The decline in sales, coupled with a doubled increase in labor costs, has put a significant strain on the viability of our D.C. operations,' he says. If I-82 stayed as is, he anticipated having to close half of his D.C. portfolio. 'Plenty of businesses, both longtime and newly opened, tell me the math just doesn't work, and others say they're simply not going to open up any more restaurants here,' said Allen, ahead of the Monday night vote. 'This [amendment] is a step that we can take that provides several years of stability.' The new law will also require D.C. Council to stay on top of economic trends that affect the restaurant industry, including employment and wages, by conducting a bi-annual study. The polarizing topic has been a hot-potato agenda item for the D.C. Council for three months now. In early May, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her 2026 budget proposal would include language to repeal I-82, which won by a 74-percent landslide at the D.C. polls in 2022. Supporters believe the measure would reduce restaurants' wage violations and boost pay. Opponents like Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington argue it hurts independent operators, slashes pay for some servers, and spikes labor costs. Several D.C. restaurants like Sticky Rice, Haikan, and Brookland's Finest cited the existing measure, among other financial hurdles, as part of the cause for their recent closures. Way back in 2018, I-77 – a similar voter-approved ballot initiative that would gradually eliminate the tipped wage – was struck down by D.C. Council. While RAMW still favors a 'full repeal' of I-82, its newly amended language that slows down wage hikes is 'a win for the industry' that addresses the 'need to bring greater balance to a policy that has contributed to record closures and job losses … and provides operators with more clarity and a stronger foundation to plan for the future.' RAMW embarked on a campaign to roll back I-82 in recent months, releasing results from a recent poll of 400 D.C. voters who say Initiative 82 has hurt (46 percent) rather than helped (9 percent) the independent restaurant industry in D.C. 'No one is 100-percent happy here. We want workers to be able to have the annual wage growth and restaurants to be able to have more manageable labor costs, and we think that this strikes the balance,' says Ward 2 councilmember Brooke Pinto, who voted 'yes' on the amendment. Fair Price Fair Wage, an advocacy coalition that includes local restaurant workers' union Unite Here, is furious over I-82's partial repeal. 'How many times do D.C. voters have to approve this before it actually happens?' said One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman, in a statement on Monday. 'This isn't just a rollback of wages — it's a rollback of democracy. Councilmembers sided with a corporate lobby that spreads lies and bankrolls influence.' Advocates are now fielding options like ballot referenda to recall efforts and voter education campaigns to reinstate I-82 in full. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George agrees that overturning the will of the voters was not the way to go and says not all restaurant failures can be fully attributed to I-82. 'It is not our job to remove all risk from the restaurant industry,' she says. Other U.S. cities like Chicago are also dealing with impacts of the hotly debated ordinance, and Massachusetts voters recently rejected a tip credit elimination and minimum wage hike law. Jonathan Nelms, owner of Georgian restaurant Supra and longtime D.C. resident, spoke out at the June hearing about the motives behind enforcing I-82. 'Why did the government feel the need to get involved in private enterprise? I don't think you did. I think an out-of-state organization came in and ran these campaigns for deceiving initiatives that have fooled D.C. voters twice,' he says. 'They all failed to understand that we as restaurant owners have to pay the difference, the tip makeup.' D.C. chef Rock Harper, who runs fried chicken joint Queen's Mother, echoed that sentiment as a small business owner who's far from a Stephen Starr. 'I wish I was a part of this 'millionaire class.' I live in a little joint across the bridge. I've worked almost 30 years to try to get my business up and this [I-82] thing is hurting us and not working the way it was intended,' he says. He reveals he lost $40,000 in December, and I-82 was one big factor as to why. The early years of I-82 has also impacted Better Hospitality Group, which runs Boardwalk Bar & Arcade, Easy Company, and Takoda. 'Our longest-standing team members have left the D.C. hospitality market and our current team members are struggling to get by due to decreased tips and the limited number of shifts we have available,' says CEO Ryan Seelbach. 'We're reaching the point of the $35 hamburger. It's not sustainable.' — Andrew Kline, Partner vertias He says I-82 has left owners like himself with three options: decrease staffing levels, on top of raising menu prices or adding service fees to guest checks; or close. Veritas Law co-founder Andrew Kline, who represents many of RAMW's members, also broke down the pitfalls of I-82 during the June hearing. 'You can't triple front-of-house wages without having a replacement source of revenue,' he says. 'The numbers are astronomical. I mean, we're reaching the point of the $35 hamburger. It's not sustainable.' Northern Virginia-based data firm MarginEdge, which represents about 600 small restaurant owners in D.C., tracked a nearly 16-percent average spike in D.C. menu prices from May 2023 (soon after I-82 went into effect) to July 2025. (While MarginEdge can't directly attribute these increases to I-82, it notes that 'prices have risen significantly over that same period.') 'The reality is, there's not a playbook,' says MarginEdge CEO Bo Davis, who also runs local sushi chain Wasabi. 'Prices on menus are going to have to be higher in D.C. than other markets. It's challenging for people to swallow.' The budget will now go to Bowser, and the bill will be sent to President Donald Trump for submission to Congress for final approval. Eater DC All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Harvard provides Trump administration with thousands of employee records under subpoena
Harvard provides Trump administration with thousands of employee records under subpoena

Boston Globe

timean hour ago

  • Boston Globe

Harvard provides Trump administration with thousands of employee records under subpoena

'Federal regulations entitle the government to access a U.S. employer's Form I-9 documents and supporting materials,' the email said. The university is one of Massachusetts' largest employers, with Advertisement Harvard is not handing over I-9 records — verification forms that all US employees and employers are required to complete for people hired by a company — for students who were hired for roles that are only open to students, citing a review of a federal privacy law, the university said in its Tuesday email. The subpoena seeking employment documents is separate A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This is a developing story and will be updated. Aidan Ryan can be reached at

Market Basket suspends 48 employees at Massachusetts store after DHS audit
Market Basket suspends 48 employees at Massachusetts store after DHS audit

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Market Basket suspends 48 employees at Massachusetts store after DHS audit

Market Basket has reportedly suspended dozens of employees at one of its Massachusetts stores following a Department of Homeland Security audit. Forty-eight workers at the Tewksbury-based grocery chain's New Bedford location were suspended last week, The Boston Globe reported. Adrian Ventura, executive director of the New Bedford-based nonprofit Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, told the newspaper that suspensions are linked to recent operations by federal immigration officials. A Market Basket spokesperson also confirmed to The Globe that the DHS investigation dated back to 2023. The DHS ordered an I-9 audit of the store in 2023, but it was delayed by the US Department of Labor, according to the report. Market Basket told The Globe that the recent DHS investigation of paperwork for some employees revealed 'several had not been properly updated.' The grocery chain says it looks forward to welcoming the suspended employees back to work once their paperwork is up to date. ICE and the DHS have not commented on the matter. RELATED: Market Basket board shares update on investigation into suspended CEO Arthur T. Demoulas What's going on with Market Basket? Fired execs say company culture is 'far from vibrant' 'Drifting dangerously off course': Mass. mayor urges Market Basket to bring back Arthur T. Demoulas Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store