DOL Would Remove Eight in 10 Workers, Most Functions if Government Shuts Down

With the threat of an Oct. 1 government shutdown still a distinct possibility, the Labor Department is prepared to suspend most operations, with a few key exceptions to protect life and property, and to furlough more than 80 percent of its staff, according to a shutdown contingency plan DOL released Sept. 27.

The 2,954 out of 16,304 DOL employees that would be retained during a shutdown are mostly from the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (1,328) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (966), while 10 DOL agencies would eliminate all functions in a government funding lapse, including the Employee ...