For six weeks now the Maine Department of Labor hasn’t paid me for being out of work during the COVID-19 outbreak-related closures of my job. When I call, either the phones never work, or it says user busy, or all agents are busy. When you get ahold of someone, they either hang up on you or transfer you to a different area, sometimes before you even say a word.

They are telling people to be patient. How do they think we can be patient when people have no income coming in? Everyone will have tons of debt or lose everything they have, while they think it’s OK to tell us to be patient. Being overwhelmed doesn’t mean ignore or don’t reply or hang up on people.

I’ve called more people than I can count, and have gotten nowhere now for six weeks other than denied payment over and over again, I called the governor’s office and the voicemail box magically is always full, which tells me she is ignoring everyone. The department doesn’t answer nor reply to the citizens of Maine, but the commissioner is so quick to either make up excuses or lie about how great she is and how she thinks she is doing so well.

I say there should be a class-action lawsuit against all of them. We just keep getting lied to and told to be patient while we watch our families starve and suffer.

Jon Manton

Fayette