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Lawsuit Says Feds Can't Force Work During Shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's largest federal employee union says forcing some federal employees to work without pay during a government shutdown violates the U.S. Constitution.

The American Federation of Government Employees has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to prevent the Obama administration from requiring essential employees to keep working if a shutdown occurs.

The lawsuit says requiring work without pay violates language in the Constitution that prohibits the government from committing to spend money that has not yet been approved by Congress.

It also claims forcing employees to work without pay violates the prohibition on involuntary servitude. It says there's no guarantee Congress will pay those employees once a shutdown ends.

Congress and the White House face a deadline of midnight Friday to agree on funding to keep the government open.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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