Amazon Drivers- Employees, Not Contractors. Wisc Sup Ct Dismisses Amazon Challenge To Ruling That Drivers Are Employees

'Wisconsin Supreme Court dismisses Amazon challenge to ruling that drivers are employees,' Wisc. Public Radio, NPR, March 26, 2024. Ed.

- State Dept. of Workforce Development says delivery giant owes more than $200K in delinquent unemployment insurance taxes

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will not overturn a lower court order declaring Amazon delivery drivers are employees rather than contractors, meaning the company could be on the hook for more than $200,000 in delinquent unemployment taxes.

The dispute between Amazon Logistics, Inc. — a subsidiary of Amazon — and multiple state agencies stems from a 2018 audit by the Department of Workforce Development. The audit looked at workplace practices of more than 1,000 people working for the company, which operates under a model similar to companies like Uber and Doordash.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, saying its review was “improvidently granted” by justices, despite oral arguments being held in December 2023. That means the court has found it shouldn’t have accepted the appeal in the first place. The majority opinion didn’t offer any reasoning behind its decision.

In concurring opinions, liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley and conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley argued about whether the court should provide its rationale for the dismissal. Walsh Bradley said an explanation is “the least we can do when the litigants have expended substantial effort and resources arguing the case before us.” She said the “dearth of explanation has been the court’s pattern for the past seven years.”..

Case centered on whether ‘gig workers’ should be considered ’employees‘...
https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-dismisses-amazon-challenge-to-ruling-that-drivers-are-employees