Opinion ID: 1911276
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: Method of Payment: by Time or by Job

Text: The trial judge found that the paper carriers were compensated in part by retaining the difference between the price at which the papers were charged to the carriers and the fixed price paid by the subscribers. The Tribune set the price to the carrier and effectively controlled the subscription price. The carriers were paid 5 cents per piecea shopper carrier creditfor the advertising inserts that the carriers were required to deliver. The trial judge found that Brauner and Larson were essentially paid on a piece rate measured by the difference between the prices of each paper delivered and by the piece rates paid for delivery of the shoppers. Relying upon Riggins v. Lincoln Tent & Awning Co., 143 Neb. 893, 896, 11 N.W.2d 810, 812 (1943), the trial judge concluded that payment of wages on a piece or quantity basis is not inconsistent with the status of an employee. The trial judge's finding is supported by sufficient competent evidence. (h) Whether or Not Work Is Regular Part of Business of Employer It was undisputed that the carriers' delivery of newspapers to customers was a significant part of the Tribune's business. The Tribune regarded carrier deliveries as being made by the Tribune itself. An ad published by the Tribune on August 23, 1990, stated: Thank You To Our Subscribers[.] We Delivered 283,452 Newspapers During July, 1990. We Received 246 Service Errors[.] Thank you for subscribing, and a special Thank You for calling when you were unsatisfied with our service. We're glad that you want us in your home. To Subscribe, or if your service is unsatisfactory, give us a call.... James Holland, the Tribune's publisher, stated that the carriers were an integral part of the Tribune's business. Sixty-four percent of the Tribune's papers were delivered by carriers such as Larson and Brauner. The carrier handbook instructs the carriers to announce at collection that they are from the Fremont Tribune. There was sufficient competent evidence to support the trial judge's finding that the delivery of the newspapers was a part of the regular business of the Tribune. (i) Whether or Not Parties Believe They are Creating Relation of Master and Servant This factor was disputed at trial. The Tribune submitted evidence to show that it was the newspaper industry's standard to consider newspaper carriers to be independent contractors. The contract between the Tribune and Brauner characterized Brauner as an independent carrier. Brauner testified that she thought of herself as an employee of the Tribune. Brauner felt that if she received a complaint from the Tribune, she had better fix the problem. She felt that if she did not deliver the route according to the expectations set forth in the carrier handbook, she would be fired or have the route taken away. Whether an agency exists depends on the facts underlying the relationship of the parties irrespective of the words or terminology used by the parties to characterize or describe their relationship. Delicious Foods Co. v. Millard Warehouse, 244 Neb. 449, 507 N.W.2d 631 (1993); Gottsch v. Bank of Stapleton, 235 Neb. 816, 458 N.W.2d 443 (1990). In Hemmerling v. Happy Cab Co., 247 Neb. 919, 927, 530 N.W.2d 916, 921 (1995), we stated: `If there exists a written contract [that labels the worker as an independent contractor], it must, of course, be considered and may be of prime importance.... However, a writing which merely denominates the relationship may not be used to conceal the true arrangement.' The trial judge found: It is beyond sophistry and closer to outright dishonesty to characterize a 10-year[-]old party to a contract as a `little merchant' and thus an independent contractor. We find that the words used in the Independent Carrier Agreement to characterize the relationship did not control the determination of whether the carriers were independent contractors. There was sufficient competent evidence to support the trial judge's determination that the contract terms did not control the issue of whether the carriers were independent contractors.