Labor phone jam concerns lawmakers

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Top lawmakers are using terms like "inexcusable" and "unacceptable" to describe the state labor secretary's handling of the crisis keeping jobless New Mexicans from contacting her department.

Secretary Betty Sparrow Doris heads the Department of Workforce Solutions, but for countless laid-off workers trying to file for unemployment benefits, "solutions" is a bad joke.

KRQE News 13's Maria Medina interviewed Doris for a report on Monday, and on Tuesday showed the story to powerful legislators who said they would help.

In the report Doris said the only solution for frustrated claimants dealing with the clogged phone system was to be patient. She claims she didn't have enough money to fix the problem.

House minority leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington, said the labor department might be able to find the help it needs from employees of other agencies:

"We just need to get more creative," he said. "Let's find some state employees that don't have much to do because of the downturn in the economy, bring them over there and solve this problem."

House Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants, summed up the department's response this way after watching Medina's report: "Not acceptable," he said. "We'll look into it, which we are.

"I'm glad you ran the story. I think it's important."

However it was Speaker of the House Ben Luján, D-Santa Fe, who picked up the phone and called the Gov. Bill Richardson's office where he left a message for the governor's chief of staff.

"If it's additional manpower that they need we need to go to Board of Finance, borrow some money there," he said in the message.

In her interview Monday Doris said she doesn't have enough money to hire the extra people she needs. Still Luján was stunned by her response to the problem.

"I thought she would for sure find a solution to it, and listening to her she doesn't seem to have any idea of how to resolve this problem that we have," he said. "There's absolutely no reason.

"It's inexcusable for people to have to wait even a week."

Luján said the state or the feds can come up with the money to get the system working:

"Not just wait along and say well, throw our hands up and say it's too bad you're not going to get your checks," he said. "That's not a solution."

U. S. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N. M., said he's looking for federal help.