Are judges employees or volunteers? #WotCLawsuits

Yeah, Jackwraith - I think that's another real possibility. Not from a nefarious perspective, but more of a "well let's see how long we can get away with it" view.

money.cnn.com/2016/05/04/news/runway-inj...-modeling/index.html

Just because it came up today, a quote:

The industry's labor issues often stem from the fact that even though models say agencies control much of their lives (down to their eating habits and the pay they receive), they typically aren't considered employees.

Clients don't typically claim them as employees either. Instead, models are left as contract workers in an industry with little oversight -- making it very difficult for them to challenge everything from wage theft to sexual harassment.

A number of the industry's top players are currently battling a lawsuit that challenges these very labor practices. The suit, proposed as a class action, alleges that the firms have unfairly profited off their models by charging exorbitant fees and expenses, incorrectly classifying them as independent contractors and withholding wages, among other allegations.
In response, the named modeling companies have denied any wrongdoing in court, claiming that allegations of stolen pay and unfair profits are baseless. They have also argued that it would be incorrect to consider models employees because they work sporadic hours and for all different clients.

(Never thought you'd see the life of a model compared with MtG judges, eh?)

Another famous "independent contractor" type that is clearly just to save the company money is pro wrestlers. But we could go on and on. The new economy is largely based around these types of arrangements.

Ugh. Success in this lawsuit would seem to have some nasty consequences.

I'm a volunteer coach for my girls soccer team. It takes up a fair amount of time every week. It isn't all lollipops and sunshine. There is mandated training involved. There is a mandated code of conduct. We get a thank-you dinner at the end of the season. Will I now be considered an employee? Because if I, my assistant coach, the refs and administrators all need to make minimum wage, then the $100 we ask of parents for uniforms and field time becomes $1000. That's the end of our cute little soccer league.

I think it's like Stoic says, and it's all going to come down to profit, and whether the tournaments are considered a community service, or a forum to sell cards. Never been to a magic tournament, so I couldn't say.

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