Professional Photographer Deemed Employee of New York Post

The Third Department determined the claimant photographer demonstrated she was an employee of the New York Post, and therefore was entitled to unemployment benefits:

The existence of an employer-employee relationship presents a factual question for the Board to resolve … . Where, as here, “professionals are involved, the relevant inquiry is whether the purported employer retains overall control of important aspects of the services performed” … . Accordingly, “[a]; determination identifying professional workers as employees will be upheld if substantial evidence in the record demonstrates that the employer had control over important aspects of the services performed, even if the worker[]; retain[ed]; control over the[]; work product and the means of crafting it” … .

Following an initial interview and completion of a trial photography session, which was designed “to see if she was good enough to receive assignments” from NYP, claimant consistently received assignments from NYP by telephone or email and worked a “pretty set schedule” of four days each week. According to an NYP representative, these assignments were distributed based upon NYP’s “view of [claimant’s]; suitability for a particular story or picture situation,” and NYP set claimant’s daily rate of pay. Claimant testified that she was given specific instructions for her assignments “most of the time,” which on occasion included “really specific directions about what kind of picture [NYP]; wanted.” Additionally, claimant was required to call in at the beginning and end of her assignments and “couldn’t just go home” if she finished an assignment early. Although claimant admittedly provided her own equipment, NYP specified — in a March 2006 memorandum — the type of camera lens that claimant was required to use, as well as the quantity and selection of photographs that she was to submit. Similarly, while claimant retained the copyright to her photographs, she was precluded from granting rights to those pictures to any newspaper located within a 75-mile radius of New York City without NYP’s prior express approval. Finally, NYP reimbursed claimant for certain of her expenses.

Such proof, in our view, supports the Board’s finding of an employer-employee relationship as to claimant and others similarly situated … . Matter of Nance…, 2014 NY Slip Op 03720, 3rd Dept 5-22-14