Co-authored by Annette Kim and Alex Passantino

If Congress continues in its inability to pass a spending bill, the federal government will be faced with a partial shutdown of key federal programs and agencies.  And if the federal government shuts down, how will this affect wage-and-hour investigations by the United States Department of Labor or being litigated in federal courts?  Generally speaking, “essential” federal workers will be excepted from the shutdown, while “non-essential” employees will be sent home.  According to its contingency plan, the Wage and  Hour Division of the Department of Labor will be reduced from 1829 employees down to six until the budget is approved.  While federal courts will remain open for the next approximately 10 days, the Federal Judiciary will review the situation by October 15 for further guidance.  For more details, check out Seyfarth Shaw’s Employment Law Lookout blog to read through Federal Government Shut Down?? – What Happens in the World of Employment Law?