Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Joe ?&mot&k, Ccmmisslomr
aureaa of Labor Statilrt.108
Au#tin, Texas
Dear Sir:
1939, in which you rogue
in re8peot to the r0iiow
requeatib on
orrio aad 8~ri0s
program or entar-
iool, 06nYwttiQM,
rothoed by singers,
and various other
ly and only with Joha L;oe. The prior of the pro-
grtinis a lump sum whioh le tired by mtual apea
sent between John Do* and the person, 889001atioa,
convention,eto. dee1rin.g the entertaihmcant. fobn
hoe seleote ~errorniaro to produoe the type of
program contraoted.fog, and pays the perionram
t.hepriae agreed upon between John Doe and t&e
perrormms. John Doe has exalcairs oherg and
Uonorable Joe Kunsohik, Page 2
oontml 0r the psrrormere, Is preaent, and
directs the program throughoutit.8rendition.
"Under the above msntfoned raota, doer
John Doe oome within the provisionsof the %II-
ployment kgenoy Law, whereby he would be requir-
ed to obtain an employmentagenoy lfoense to
uarry on suoh aativities?*
At the outset we wish to polat out that the Terarr
Wplomnt Agenoy Lau, Artlolea 2208 through 5221, &vised
civil Statutee or 1925, as amended, and Artlolse 15134through
1592 or Vernon*8 Annotated Fenal Code, are very rully and
capably dlaouaaed In the oaae or Karr v. Baldwin, 59 Fed.
(2nd) 252 (DlatrlOtCourt, Texas) by Judge Atwell.
krtiole 5206, Revised Civil Statutes, 1025, de-
rines an -WpLovnt Ageaoy” as r0u0w8r
"The term *E&ployaentA&enoy’aiaanaetery
perso+, ‘rim, partneredlp or assooiatlon of per-
aortaengaged In the bublaefm Or asaleting am-
ployera to aeoure employeea,aad persons to.ae-
oure eaiployment,or 0r oollactin~iaromeation
regarding employers seeking employees,and per-
uopg seeking employment.*
The sass statute ?ronteln$the tOllowIng deilnl-
tloa or *?3mployaeat orrioe't
'The term *XmploymantOffloe* ~eaxisevery
glaoe or ortloe where the buslneas or glrlng
lntelllgenoeor informationwhere emploVmeat
or help may be obtained,,or rhere the buaineas
ot &inemploymentagent Is oarrled 011."
Aooording to the rstatutoxyde&nit&on above eet
out an %xployment Agent* is a parson, fZrm, pPrtaerahlp
or aerrooiatlonor persons engaged In the btalne~e or brln&
ing about an eaployer-employeeor master-servantrelation-
ship between two persona or a rim, corporation,partner-
ship, eta, ae employer or master and a person as employee
or servant. In a situation desorltwd in pour lettoT, how-
ever, the agent employs and paye the entertainer@+ The
latter have no eatreotuil relatlonahlpwhataaever with
the pereone, asaooiationa,olubs, aomentlonu, eta. de-
siring the entertainment. They look to the agent for
Eonorable Joe Kunaohlk,Fag3 3
their inatruotionsend their remuneration. The asent in
turn contract8 with the tioreaaldparties desiring an en-
tertainmentprogram. A lump aum la paid to the agent for
the sh0w or talent he produces or rurnlshea.
To be an *employee*,the relation or master-servant
muat exist to the extant that one party has the right of
ultimate control over the other. Surety Cnlon Inanraaoe Co.
P. holeod, (Texas) 36 S. F. (2d) 449, 551.
"In the languageof the law, however, the
word *servant*la used to smbraoe all olaasea
or employeea. It la synonymouswith *employeef,
end laoludaa all persona of nhatever rank or.
poeitlonwho are aubjeot to the dlrecrtlon.and
aontrol of another in any departmentof labor
or buainesa.a 29 Tex. Surla. 10.
In the Supreme Court oase of Ribtik I. YoBride,
277 U.S. 350, Justice Sutherlandniakea this algnlflaant
observation:
*The basineia ot aeouring employmentfor
those aeeking.workis eaaentlallythat of a
broker, that ie, or an iatermadlary.w
Under the faota set ant in your letter the agent
la something&ore than an lhtarmadiary. Ea ia In reality
the employer of the entertainera,having oompleti Oontrol
and paying them for their aervloes.Intheabaenoe or any ra-
lationahlp of master and servant being brought about by
aald agent betueen the entertainerson the ond hand and the
parsona, oluba, asaociatlonaand convention8deairlng their
aervioea, ft la our opinion that the agent or entertalneasnt
entrepreneurdesorlbed In your letter does not aoaiewithin
the purview or Artiale 5208, Revised Civil Statute8 or lSW,
and la not required by law to obtain an Employment Agenoy
Lloenae, Articlea liWElthrough 5221, Revised Cioil.Statutea
of lQe3, aa amended, and Artlalea 1584 throue 1593 of the
Annotated Penal Code of Texas not applying to hi8 buelllbaa.
Trusting tllatthe above fully answers your
we are
POUTS v0l-y tTul.y
APPROVEDAUG22, 19.39
.ATTORXEYQXNERAL OF TEXAS
k5Qu4.d.u
ATTORNEYGENERAL OF TEXAS-