Federal employees’ union sues Trump administration as 420,000 work without pay during shutdown

The American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, says it’s illegal for federal workers to be forced to work without pay.

213
SOURCEDemocracy Now!

The government shutdown continues as President Trump prepares to meet with congressional leaders just one day before Democrats take control of the House. President Trump has insisted on including $5 billion for border wall funding before he’ll agree to sign any spending measure. Eight hundred thousand government workers’ lives have been thrown into disarray by the shutdown, with 380,000 workers on furlough and 420,000 who have worked without pay since December 22. We speak with a federal workers’ union that is suing the Trump administration over the shutdown. The American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, says it is illegal for federal workers to work without pay. We speak with Heidi Burakiewicz, lead attorney in the lawsuit, and David Borer, general counsel for AFGE.

Guests

  • David Borer

    general counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees.
  • Heidi Burakiewicz

    lead attorney in a lawsuit suing the federal government on behalf of members of the American Federation of Government Employees.

FALL FUNDRAISER

If you liked this article, please donate $5 to keep NationofChange online through November.

COMMENTS