It sounds like a polarity problem. The line cord feeding the variac may
be reversed, or the switch may be in the neutral instead of the 120V
line (or if it's a double-pole switch, one pole may have failed "On".)
Easy way to tell: check voltage from neutral to ground with the switch
on. If it's zero when the switch is on and 120V with the switch off, the
switch probably is in the neutral. If it's 120V both ways, the line cord
or outlet is wired wrong.
You definitely should fix it, but don't rely on the switch for safety.
They can (and do) fail. Always unplug to be safe!
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