Department of Labor recovers $422K in back wages, damages for 219 workers employed by home care providers in Baton Rouge, Greensburg, Shreveport

NEW ORLEANS -While people employed in the home care industry are among the nation's lowest paid workers and are routinely expected to work long hours to help those in need, these workers are too often shortchanged by their employers' unfair and illegal pay practices.

In Louisiana, Department of Labor has determined the use of improper employment practices commonly found in the industry shortchanged 219 people employed by five companies in Baton Rouge, Greensburg and Shreveport. The companies are Assisted Hands LLC, Joy PCA Services LLC and Our Grace LLC in Baton Rouge; Quality Community Homes LLC in Greensburg and We Care Sitting Services LLC in Shreveport.

Investigators with the department's Wage and Hour Divisiondetermined four of the five companies - with the exception of Assisted Hands - misclassified employees as independent contractorsand paid them straight-time rates for all hours worked when they should have paid overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek. The division also identified Fair Labor Standards Actviolations related to improper deductions from employees' wages and failures to pay minimum wage and overtime as required.

"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."

Specifically, the investigations recovered back wages and liquidated damages and cited violations as follows:

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search toolto use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. The division protects workers regardless of where they are from and can communicate with workers and employers confidentially in more than 200 languages at 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243).

Download the agency's new Timesheet App, which is available in English and Spanish for Android and Apple devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.