Five federal employees classified as “essential” and required to work during the recent government shutdown have brought suit under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The theory is that by making them work but not paying them in real time, their agency violated the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA. They are seeking remedies provided by the law.
All five named plaintiffs work for the Bureau of Prisons, part of the Department of Justice. They have filed for damages not only for themselves but also for all other “essential” employees who were similarly forced to work during the shutdown.
The case was filed October 24, 2013 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and has been designated No. 13-834C.
