The American Federation of Government Employees, two of its California locals, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed suit on September 30 in federal court in San Francisco. The unions are now asking the court for immediate injunctive relief to halt the firings. When shutdowns occur, federal employees are either classified as “excepted,” meaning they continue working without pay until funding resumes, or “non-excepted,” meaning they are temporarily furloughed. Approximately 750,000 federal employees remain furloughed nationwide. The court in San Francisco is expected to rule soon on the unions’ emergency motion.
