Melynda Ankney, DEED, Local 1703 Answering the Call

I recently told my boss that I wanted to help as much as I could during the pandemic, and the next thing I knew I was traveling 43 miles from my Cambridge office to the Unemployment Insurance call center in St. Paul. The State received 149,000 UI applications last week – that’s up from 2,500 a year ago. The amount of calls we’re getting at the center is crazy. I’ve spoken with hundreds of people; if they don’t have a computer, we’re their backup and help them answer questions. The callers are extremely polite and understanding. They tell me, “We appreciate you so much. Thank you.” I’m very proud of the work we’re doing here.