NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $446,334 in back wages and liquidated damages from two northwest Louisiana home care companies that misclassified 88 workers as independent contractors, depriving them of overtime wages in violation of federal law. The department’s Wage and Hour Division found that 24 employees of the Stonewall-based Inner Quality Services LLC and 64 employees of the Shreveport-based Sincere Client Care Services LLC were misclassified as independent contractors and paid straight-time rates for all hours worked, including for hours over 40 in a workweek. The division recovered $70,106 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages from Inner Quality Services for affected employees, and $153,061 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for the affected employees at Sincere Client Care Services to resolve their Fair Labor Standards Act violations.“The Wage and Hour Division takes employee misclassification seriously, and we will continue to hold employers accountable when workers are denied their lawfully earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans. “Misclassification often results in workers losing critical workplace protections and benefits, including overtime pay. This practice is unfair to the workers and other employers who classify their workforce correctly.” Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to 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 Timesheet App, which is available in English and Spanish for Android and Apple devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.    Learn more about employee misclassification.