Federal Workers Sue Government For Withholding Pay During Shutdown

[Tx4obama]

Federal Workers Sue Government For Withholding Pay During Shutdown

A group of federal workers who had their pay delayed due to the shutdown are suing the federal government, saying it violated its own labor laws by given them abbreviated paychecks in October.

In a suit that was filed Oct. 24, five federal employees who were required to work through the shutdown accuse the government of failing to pay them minimum wage and overtime during one pay period. By withholding several days' worth of pay, the government ran afoul of the Fair Labor Standards Act, they claim.

The original plaintiffs are all employees of the Bureau of Prisons, but their lawyer told HuffPost that the firm has heard from many more federal workers and plans to add new plaintiffs.

"These are by no means highly paid federal employees," said the lawyer, Heidi Burakiewicz, of Mehri & Skalet in Washington. "They didn't know how they would support their children during the shutdown. They had to defer payments for bills."

Unlike their furloughed counterparts, many employees were deemed "excepted" personnel and were required to work through the two-week shutdown, knowing they would eventually get paid for their services. But according to the lawsuit, these employees weren't paid for the work they did between Oct. 1 and Oct. 5 on their regularly scheduled payday, instead having to wait for a later paycheck.

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Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/federal-workers-shutdown-lawsuit_n_4194165.html

[yewberry]

1. I think they should.

Labor laws require payment for work.

I'm a public employee, and I am exempt from furloughs. I can't not go to work. I'm not a highly-paid employee, I am union, and if I am not at work regardless of weather, holidays, illness, or government shutdown, bad things happen to thousands of people.

I don't get any special considerations or perks for this. If there is a shutdown, I have to be there, but I'll be goddamned if I have to beg for the pay that is due to me for working. Seriously, if I'm required to be at work, my employer should be required to pay me for that work.

[pansypoo53219]

2. sue the GOP + ted cruz.

[ejpoeta]

3. I know my sister is trying to figure out how to pay back the unemployment she received.

you would think they'd give them that info. My sister used her "free days" with daycare so she didn't have to pay even though she didn't send her daughter. Now she won't have them when she needs them. She only gets so many. She can't just remove her daughter from daycare because she'd lose her spot. They should sue. It's ridiculous!