The Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper, reports that the Wisconsin Supreme Court let a lower court ruling stand that said that Amazon drivers were employees for the purposes of unemployment insurance and taxes.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 let stand a lower court ruling that declared some delivery drivers for Amazon are employees as the state argued, not independent contractors as the online retail giant contended.
The court, in a unanimous decision, said the appeal was “improvidently granted,” meaning the Supreme Court should not have reviewed the case. That decision dismissing the case, issued after the court heard verbal arguments, leaves a 2023 Wisconsin appeals court ruling against Amazon in place.
That ruling found that drivers in the Amazon Flex program are a part of the state’s unemployment insurance system and entitled to jobless pay if they are laid off. The decision means an Amazon subsidiary, Amazon Logistics, will likely be hit with a tax bill of more than $200,000.
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, in a concurring decision, said the reason the court dismissed the case was that further review “would not serve any meaningful purpose” or any “further development of the law.” Justice Rebecca Bradley, in a separate writing, faulted Bradley for trying to explain the court’s decision, saying it “will only sow additional confusion.”
Read the full story at WI Supreme Court: Amazon drivers are employees, not independent contractors – Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper