OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXA!S 

AUSTIN 

O-C- 

--- 

Bon. Joe Rllnachik, Comll.88foner 

Bureau of Labor Statfstier 

Auatin, T 0 x a 61 

opinion Ho. 04018 

X6 a pertton engage 

a8 deroribsd, with1 

Arti i5me-6ee1, 

Art~ole8 16644893 

qulrsd to ob 

lhmlse? 

You hava reques 

00mruOti0n0rArti0m 

shed FA li I& ot perhapr fir8 , 8iX 

or etgbt WlW8tler8 who an aPrilab$e for 

a ~cirtioular night. %%8 proIt&?ter than 

6Sh&ti fX’Ql% t&i8 list 80 fUrntPkUk6 t0 

hi81 th8 IWreStler he d’J8iXW8 to &&oh, 

WleOtiing: parchap tW0, fy, or Sir Of 
Ron. Joe Kunaohik, Coml%sloner, pag% 9 

th% name8, and di8oarding the remainder. 

The aanicee of th% wrestler end the agreeaunt 68 to the p%ro%nteg% or saale of 

xemuneratton is deaided ?aetween the promoter cud wmatler; the booking a&put 

do%8 n,-,t sttsxpt to aOntrc1 the auicuut of 

p%rc%nteg% paid, exoept tbt he Stipulate6 

that tka promoter will ham to guarantee 

a miol.mm apount to aover tSerel.in(; expensea of the wmstler. 

**The booking agent reoelrea no money 

Or pay whetsosver from th% wrestler....* 

but *does receive from the promoter a percentag% of th% Cross intak% of the sntirs 

6Low. Thlb~s perooufege la ?Sid by the 

promoter and is not paid by the wreMler8, 

nor deducted rroa their earning8 . . . . ..I 

**The senloes of the booking agent axe 

deslred by the various prrmoter8.....@ in 

pluny i.n8taIIa%B, and tLiS 8el~iCe i8 al60 

desired by the wrestler6 La mahy ihstanoes. 

“ThiO ~pkrtlll%nt &18, a.nO% the bwwnoei of 

an opinion dated Jenuary 9l, 1936, by tM Attorney %nera148 38partaenli, oontended thet mob 

a booking agent ahou1.d obtain an aaployment 

agency ilcense before oarrying on suoh operations. The opinion refarred to wa8 si+guad by 

kir. Eussell Rentfro, vrho was at that time an 

assistant attorney general under Hon. WillLam 

BIoCrew, aud a ~co?y of 8Qid opinion is attaahed 

fox your refax8noe. 

***I@. 

"AS we undsratend the netter, rarious 

wxcstlera cask %mplom:ht In one Show on room 

particular night, and they also deeire to obteln employmmt from other promoterf3 on 88 many 

sncaerrsire nights 08 possibt8. 9% understand 

thErt the booking qgsnt adv%xti%%s the qualities, 

abflitise, and regutntions of such wrestiers, 
Hon. SOS lC¶umohik, Oaanlasloner, page 3 

and tlmt mob agent is iatere8tad ln seeIn 

that th%8% wre8tlars obtain em;lloyment in 

order that the e&went xmy obtain fro3 the promoter8 certain isee thct h%Ye prt3viOu8ly been 

agreed upon between thb promoter and th8 agsnt. 

We heme oerefnlly considered this m8tter sines 

th% OOnOlU8iOn W her% reached neoessitate~ the overruling Of the former opinion of ttil% dasertzzent, dated 

Jtnuary 21, 1936.. reterred to in yaw ooaaunioatlon, 

whloh you state you hare been iollomin2. 

micle 5208, .Rsrised Civil Btatuteir, rend8, in 

part t 

The term *Emplomnt Agent* saam eVery person, fimr, pertnership or essociatf;on of person8 

%li@PgSd in the bUsinsBU Of a8%i8tiw el&Oy@Jr8 

t0 BetUU%3 emp1OySe8, and pOXSOn t0 SstJUre ~ZRployment, or of oolleoting information regardin 

em~loyeta seek& spaploy%%s, snd persons aeakln2 

l mpLoy8lsnt. 'The term *Exsployaent BXio%* mans 

truer plaoe or,offlos where the buainese oiE glrlng 1 ntsl~i~nue or information where ea@oyment 

or cS&p nag be obt%lxi%d or where the,bu8in*88 

of en emploglaent agent 1s 0arrLed on. * * * ." 

Art&cl* 1524 of the Fan81 Cob oontelas the 8azm 

d4rititioII8. 

These deiinltlons determine the ROtivitie8 regulatad by Artioleo 6208-6221, lnolusiva, supra, end Artie168 1524-1695,inolusive, Bupre, and the question 

which muat be auswured is whether the sitnatloa decloribed 

in your letter 18 oo+ereQ thereby. Clearly, thernr atatatas do not %rpr%eely do so; they may be held to do 80 

only if suoh 1% the neoesaary implication th%refrom. 

%a believe it Etunif'eet thet the boo- agunt, 

or broker, dsfdoribsd in your l%tter, ia not the usual. 

and well-reoognized *Employment AgenV and does not 
79 

Hoz. Joe Kuneahik, Corraieslonor, page 4 

maintain the usual and well-reoognized *iWplo~%nt 

err ice". Or-dlnarilp an employment agent deal6 with 

applicants for fobs in the 6%n8% of regulsr %m~~loyment by an employer, under which a regular w%ge or 

salary is paid, cweting the typioal re1atiouahl.p of 

master-servant, %~~ploy%r-%mploy%%, ae diatinguirrbed 

from an *engagemenV of short duration for a perromance, or a 8?.ar, or a ur%sfAlng match, with the 001ppenaation payable not on a selerr or wage basla, bat 

on an engapment or yerronmmee basle. 

Reaogniefng this vary real dletinction, we must 

decide if these stirtutes were intended to r%@.at% the 

booking agent, or broket, %Egag%d,'only, in assisting 

the promoters deeiring the wrertlere for a performeno% 

upon a particular night in securing euoh wr%stl%ro 

aud the wreletlers thannmarelre6 in making Oontpct',wi& 

the pxomotorll f.u tke manor dascribad. 

R.-s 

In Seation 6 Or the AOt (Acts 1923, 33th Lea;., 

., p. 79; Art. 1587, P.C.) one of the regulatioar 

lmpo~ed read6 au iollowsa 

* * + + SW& employlnsnt agent shall alao 

enter and keep in a well-bound book the mm% 

and addreea or *very person, rm, oorporatlon 

or aesoolation of peraom. who shall mice applioatlon to hlm r0r aasistanoe in wouring 

eniployeertogether withthe number and kin& 

or SIU~~O~W~S desired, the amount 0r wages Or 

salary to be .paid and the place wh%r% such emPl p t k, d th date oi th 

pl~ca~8io~~naor~~-re~~ired~a (mq~hasi~ airsI 

This tenntnology definitely tadloates that the 

Legislature cont%mpl.oted~th% typioal relatlonehip or 

%mployer-employ%%, wher% regular work is eeOu?ad, and 

mgulular wagas or rsale3-y 1% paid. 

section 10 0r t&e Aot (AMi. 5215, li%YiMd Ciril 

Statutes; Art; 2689, Penal Code) prior to ita tindment 

in 1937, else read2 

Where a ,fes is charged for obtaining employ- 
8 

Ran. Joe FAneohIk, Commlasloner, page 5 

m%nt , such ree in no etsnt shall emteed the 

sum or three dollara, which may be oolleatad 

fro3 the agyllcant only ortar employment has 

been obtained and acoeptad by the a;?plicant; 

provldud, hoeover, em#oysmnt agents engaged 

exa.u3lr-~ly in imovldlng employment ror skill- 

%d, proressi0ntd OS olerloal positiona may 

oh&r&a. with the wxltten oonaent or the asplloant, a reg. not to exceed twenty per Cent 

0r the rirGt nonth*c salary.* (Zmphaeis ours) 

hgain we peroelte the presralllhg idea of a 

Lialnry, a oontinuous %zploymnt on a month to month 

basis. 

These provisiont3, It maema to ua, denuxmtrak 

that the Leglslaturs la enaofing thie law did not have 

In aontemplation the type of booking agent, or broker, 

deoorlbad 5.n your lottar, and wan not undertaking, in 

these ststutee, to regulate them. Re ere uhwllllhg, 

in the abseoC% of a olear legisletlve intent that suah 

was intended, to give to the term mloymmt Agent* 

and Qnployxaant OrSlce% an all-lrioluaivs nraanlng ooverlng all actlrltles where an In~lrl&u~& znay be a8sIsted 

in eeourlng any type of employment with oompemation 

therefor upon any basis. 

Tie in~Ivl&utl ahioh you dasorlbe ocouples more 

tii@ y6sition of a *broker% a8 thut term Is defined by 

our courts. For example, the court in the case of 

FXZZ2';- v. EICZ;OLs, 110 S.Y. 206, 208, says: 

*In Xeyw~ v. Johnson, 68 Pa. 42 fidge 

Shsr8wood, delirmring the opinion of the oourt 

said1 *Erok%rs as% persona w:io%e bus5nese it 

is to brln@ buyer and seller together; they 

n%ed have nothlrq to do with th8 negotiation 

or the bargain 'r 4 % (t 

It is not, hourevar, neoesaary that we d%fln% 

th% business or the pereon desoriberl in your l.ott.fm; 

6urric% to 8ay, ~43 are oonetrained to the oplnIon that 

the statutes involve& were enacted to rqulate the typfo%l Gnd well-r%co&z%d em&Aoyment sagant's buainesa 
81 

Ilo?. Joe Kununschik, ComAssioner, Page 6 

8:ich ~KX~~U sot include that of the booking ageent 88 

described in pour oommn ioation. 

Accordingly, you are reejmctiu1l.y abvieed that 

it is the opinion of this department thet the person 

engaged In the activltiee deesoribed is not re uired, 

under izticlee 5200-5221 ir,cluslre, mpre, an3 

1584-1593, inclueire, eupra 

Arrtioles 

to obtain an emp&oymnt 

agsnoy licenee berore engag i ng 11: #%oh buxslness. 

Tru:iti ng that 

iiquiry, we remain 

ZGSrob 

tie here adequately enemared your 

Your6 very truly