Opinion

Venango Newspapers v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review

  • 158 Pa. Commw. 379
  • 631 A.2d 1384
  • 1993 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 573
Court
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Filed
Sep 10, 1993
Status
Published
Author
McGINLEY
On the bench
McGinley, Pellegrini, Lord
Cited by
31 cases
Authority
More cited than 10.3%

considering direct daily 12 supervision as a factor in whether the claimant was an independent contractor

How later courts described this case

  • considering direct daily 12 supervision as a factor in whether the claimant was an independent contractor
  • considering direct daily supervision as a factor in whether the claimant was an independent contractor
  • “If the order causes direct harm, the party is aggrieved and has a right to appeal.”

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

McGINLEY, Judge,

dissenting.

I respectfully dissent to the majority’s holding that Claimants were not engaged'in employment with Venango as defined by Section 401(Z )(2)(B) of the Unemployment Compensation Law, 43 P.S. § 753(Z )(2)(B). The facts in the present case are remarkably similar to those in Johnson v Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board (Dubois Courier Express and PMA Insurance Co.), — Pa.Commonwealth Ct. -, 631 A.2d 693 (1993), wherein we held that a workers’ compensation claimant who delivered newspapers for the Dubois Courier Express was an independent contractor rather than an employee. For the reasons set forth in Judge Friedman’s dissent in Johnson, I believe Claimants in the present case are employees of Venango rather than independent contractors.

As Judge Friedman noted in Johnson, the key factor in determining employee status is the employer’s right to control or supervise the manner and method by which the claimants completed their deliveries. Dissenting op. 631 A.2d at 699-700 . Like the Dubois Courier in Johnson, Venango retains *389 control over all essential aspects of Claimants’ work: their time, their territory and their manner of performance. If Claimants did not deliver the papers and advertisers in a certain condition or manner, or by a certain time which did not please the customer, the customers complained directly to Venango which was free to, and in fact did, terminate one of the Claimants.

I would hold that Claimants are employees under Section 401(Z )(2)(B).

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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