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&?terthan
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 agree-
aunt 68 to the p%ro%nteg% or saale of
xemuneratton is deaided ?aetween the pro-
moter 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(;ex-
pensea of the wmstler.
**The booking agentreoelrea no money
Or pay whetsosver from th% wrestler....*
but *does receive from the promoter a per-
centag% of th% Cross intak% of the sntirs
6Low. Thlb~sperooufege 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 At-
torney %nera148 38partaenli, oontended thet mob
a booking agent ahou1.d obtain an aaployment
agency ilcense before oarrying on suoh opera-
tions. 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 ob-
teln 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 agentis iatere8tad ln seeIn
that th%8% wre8tlars obtain em;lloyment in
order that the e&went xmy obtain fro3 the pro-
moter8 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 over-
ruling 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 per-
son, 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~ZR-
ployment, or of oolleoting information regardin
em~loyeta seek& spaploy%%s, snd persons aeakln2
lmpLoy8lsnt. 'The term *ExsployaentBXio%* mans
truer plaoe or,offlos where the buainese oiE glr-
lng 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 reg-
ulatad by Artioleo 6208-6221, lnolusiva, supra, end Ar-
tie168 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 atat-
atas 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'eetthet 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~~loy-
ment 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 perrom-
ance, or a 8?.ar, or a ur%sfAlng match, with the 001p-
penaation 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 thannmarelre6in making Oontpct',wi&
the pxomotorll f.u tke manor dascribad.
In Seation 6 Or the AOt (Acts 1923, 33th Lea;.,
R.-s., 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 ap-
plioatlon 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 em-
Pl 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-y1% 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 as-
plloant, 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 oov-
erlng 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 typf-
o%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 Arrtioles
1584-1593, inclueire, eupra to obtain an emp&oymnt
agsnoy licenee berore engag ing 11:#%oh buxslness.
Tru:iti ng that tiehere adequately enemared your
iiquiry, we remain
Your6 very truly
ZGSrob