Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer said she is still concerned about being able to provide services effectively.
Of the 95 people being laid off from the Department of Labor because of funding cuts, only one is a manager. Officials from the Malloy administration faced questioning from lawmakers on the issue Monday.
The Labor Department announced earlier this year it would lay off 95 staff and close six job centers around the state as the result of a cut in federal funding. It's since come up with a plan to turn the threatened centers in Meriden, Enfield, New Britain, Norwich, Torrington, and Windham into affiliate centers, run by the Workforce Investment Board, with reduced services.
Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer told the legislature’s Labor Committee that she is still concerned about being able to provide services effectively.
"We've got to make sure that we have the resources to meet the needs of those people; that we don't have huge waits for calls, that we don't have checks going out late to people who need them to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads," said Palmer. "We're discussing that now. I can't tell you that we've solved how we're going to do that with less personnel."
It came to light during the hearing that all but one of the laid-off employees are line workers and not managers. Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management Ben Barnes defended that decision.
"I don't believe that were any great opportunities to eliminate management positions without leaving offices uncovered or significant managerial responsibilities unfulfilled," he said. "So I think when you look at the context of the agency, that those decisions were very reasonable."
Caroline Raynis works in the New Britain job center. She received a pink slip. She told the public hearing that the cuts are shortsighted.
"If standards, and quality standards and timeframe standards aren't met, the federal government may take corrective action which might result in a loss of funding," Raynis warned. "I'm very concerned that this department will not be able to keep up with the programs and services that it needs to provide to the public, and that the agency and its customers will suffer."
So far, 60 of the 95 laid off workers have been placed into jobs with other state agencies.
