Largest federal workers union sues Obama administration for repayment of wages in event of shutdown!

[Better Believe It]

Largest federal worker union sues for pay lost in event of shutdown
By Kevin Bogardus
April 8, 2011

The nation's largest federal employee union sued the Obama administration Friday, seeking the repayment of wages lost during a government shutdown.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) says in its lawsuit that the administration has violated the Constitution's appropriations clause and the 13th Amendment by requiring employees to work without pay during a federal closure.

AFGE has 600,000 members who are federal and D.C. government workers.

The 13th Amendment became law in 1865, ending the practice of slavery and indentured servitude in the United States.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/154941-largest-federal-worker-union-sues-for-shutdown-pay


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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 8, 2011
Contact: Tim Kauffman/[e-mail]
202-639-6405/202-374-6491

REQUIRING EMPLOYEES TO WORK DURING SHUTDOWN VIOLATES LAW, LAWSUIT CHARGES
Federal agencies can’t force employees to work without promise of payment, union says

WASHINGTON - Ordering federal employees to work during a government shutdown violates the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed today by the nation's largest federal employee union.

The American Federation of Government Employees filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry are named as defendants.

The lawsuit contends that the Obama administration is violating the U.S. Constitution's Appropriations Clause and Thirteenth Amendment by requiring federal civilian employees to work without pay during a period of lapsed federal appropriations.
"Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be required to work during a shutdown, and there's no guarantee that Congress will keep the administration's promise to pay those employees once the shutdown is over," AFGE National President John Gage said.

Section 1341 of Title 31 of the U.S. Code prohibits federal and D.C. government workers from spending or obligating funds that have not already been appropriated by Congress.

The administration claims that it can require certain employees to work during a shutdown under Section 1342 of Title 31, which includes a clause covering "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property."

However, AFGE's lawsuit contends that this section of U.S. Code is not a valid exception to the prohibition on incurring debts during a shutdown because it is not an appropriations law and does not empower federal agencies to force Congress to pay for debts incurred during a shutdown.

"The Constitution requires an appropriation by Congress before federal dollars can be spent, no exceptions," Gage said. "Without an appropriation, the agencies simply can't spend money or incur debts by forcing employees to work."

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