This wage and hour Law Firm Publication by Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. discusses the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) January 20, 2015 announcement of Wisconsin as the 19th state to join the “Misclassification Initiative.” This initiative was launched by the federal government to prevent employers from misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DOL in which each agency agreed to share information and work together in combatting employee misclassification for an initial three-year term. The “Misclassification Initiative” recognizes that employee misclassification results in misclassified workers being ineligible for minimum wage protection, overtime pay and FMLA leave, as well as workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance benefits.