Dept. of Labor recovers more than $45K in back wages for 57 Shreveport employees

NEW ORLEANS, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $422,000 in back wages for employees of home care providers in Baton Rouge, Greensburg, and Shreveport.

According to the Department of Labor, 219 workers were shortchanged by their employers’ unfair and illegal pay practices.

According to a release from the department, We Care Sitting Services LLC in Shreveport failed to pay overtime to 57 employees. The total amount recovered for the employees was $45,441.

Investigators determined the employees were misclassified as independent contractors, and they were paid straight-time rates for all hours worked instead of being paid overtime for hours worked past the 40-hour workweek.

“Misclassification of employees as independent contractors is particularly troublesome in the home care industry,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “These workers perform critical services, and their employers must pay them every cent the law requires. The Department of Labor will continue to demand industry compliance and hold employers who violate the law accountable.”