Pa. Sen. John DiSanto calls for Labor & Industry secretary’s resignation

Pa. Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak

Sen. John DiSanto, R-Dauphin County, is calling on Gov. Tom Wolf to remove his Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak from his Cabinet post, calling his leadership of that department a failure.

Sen. John DiSanto is calling on Gov. Tom Wolf to remove Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak from his Cabinet post, calling his leadership of that department a failure.

In a letter to the governor following a Tuesday Senate committee hearing that dug into the problems facing the state’s unemployment compensation system nearly crippled from the 1.7 million people seeking jobless benefits, DiSanto, R-Dauphin County, said it’s time for new leadership in that department.

“.His management of the department leading up to and during this response to the COVID-19 pandemic can only be described as a failure,” DiSanto stated in his letter. At the Senate hearing, he said “I heard excuses and blame, but not the leadership and action that is needed at the helm of the Department of Labor & Industry.”

A Wolf spokeswoman indicated the governor has no intention of removing Oleksiak.

“Secretary Oleksiak has overseen an effort to provide billions of dollars to those who need unemployment compensation in this unprecedented time,” said spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger in a statement. “The governor is proud he serves the commonwealth, and that he will continue to do so.”

The department has become a punching bag from claimants who complain about delays, backlogs and a generally unresponsive unemployment system. But Oleksiak has said during weekly phone conversations with reporters the department is doing all it can to expediently address the unprecedented demand on the system.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Oleksiak also pointed out that the department’s staffing complement was appropriate for the low unemployment rate that preceded the pandemic, which has contributed to the problem. The governor and secretary said they are working on building up the staffing to help address the backlogs and problem with calls going unanswered.

DiSanto acknowledged in his letter that he was among the senators who had misgivings about Oleksiak’s qualifications for the job when the governor nominated him.

Oleksiak is a former special education teacher who was serving as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association when Wolf tapped him for the Cabinet post. The GOP-controlled Senate refused to act on Oleksiak’s confirmation within the required time period which led to him automatically assuming the position in what was said to be the first time a Cabinet secretary has taken office without Senate approval.

DiSanto said he had “deep concerns about the dysfunction and mismanagement” of the unemployment compensation office within the department before Oleksiak took over.

Oleksiak came on board after a performance audit revealed nearly $180 million in taxpayer dollars had been spent under his predecessor’s leadership on a botched technology modernization project in the unemployment compensation office. A fight over providing additional funding led to some staff layoffs and closure of some centers that serviced the system until a funding bill was passed in 2017 that came with the yet to be achieved goal of having the system operate solely on federal funds.

“The department has squandered a historic period of low unemployment to make the fundamental, systemic changes needed, and once again, like so many times before, Pennsylvanians have been dis-served by a government bureaucracy that rewards political favoritism over competence and merit. Please correct this deficiency immediately,” DiSanto stated in his letter.

Kensinger added to her statement: "It is unfortunate that Senator DiSanto, during a pandemic not seen in over 100 years, has refused to provide the people of his district, or Pennsylvania, with a plan to ensure they can remain safe while also being a constructive voice on ensuring our economy heals.

“Voting to prematurely open tens of thousands of businesses during the height of the coronavirus is disappointing, as well. There is no guarantee it would do anything other than cause confusion, and put employees in harm’s way. If ever there was a time to refrain from playing politics, it is now. The governor is committed to working with the Senator to save lives, and chart a path to real recovery for those who have been impacted most.”

*This post was updated to include the statement from Gov. Wolf’s spokeswoman Lyndsay Kensinger.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.