Federal Workforce’s Largest Union Sues Over Unpaid Labor During Shutdown

The nation’s largest federal employee union on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over employees being forced to work without pay during the partial government shutdown that began last month. Led by two Bureau of Prisons employees, the American Federation of Government Employees and a Washington, D.C., employment law firm filed class action litigation in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on behalf of all “essential” federal workers, who are required by their agencies to report to their jobs despite a lapse in appropriations. Excepted employees are not paid for their work until after the government reopens, though they are guaranteed back pay at that point.