Justice Dept. Says Federal Workers Can Sue Over Pay Loss During 2013 Shutdown

The Justice Department has given the go-ahead to federal workers to join a class action suit to recover some of the pay they lost due to the 2013 16-day government shutdown. In a memo to various agencies, reported by The Washington Post, DOJ said all the workers who were forced to toil without pay from Oct.  1-5, 2013 can sue for $7.25 per hour lost -- the federal minimum wage. Click below to read more.
- PAI; photo: AFSCME members rally during 2013 shut-down; photo by Chris Garlock

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The original suit was filed by a pro-worker D.C. law firm representing five Bureau of Prisons workers, members of the American Federation of Government Employees.  The suit says the lack of pay during the shutdown violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets the minimum wage. Attorney Heidi Burakiewicz said that the next time Congress decides to shut down the government by not appropriating any money to run it, lawmakers should think about the consequences to the workers and to the Treasury.