Boston Bicycle Couriers, Inc. v. Deputy Director of the Division of Employment & Training

**Boston Bicycle Couriers Must Pay Unemployment Benefits for Delivery Workers** This case was about whether bicycle delivery couriers working for Boston Bicycle Couriers were employees or independent contractors. The company argued its couriers were independent contractors, which would have freed the company from paying unemployment compensation contributions for these workers. The state's employment agency disagreed and said the couriers were actually employees who deserved unemployment benefit protections. The court sided with the state agency, ruling that the bicycle couriers were employees, not independent contractors. The court applied Massachusetts's "ABC test," which requires companies to meet strict criteria to classify workers as independent contractors. Boston Bicycle Couriers failed to prove their couriers met these requirements. This decision matters because it protects workers' rights to unemployment benefits. When companies incorrectly label employees as independent contractors, workers lose important protections like unemployment insurance when they lose their jobs. The ruling reinforces that delivery workers who work regularly for a company are typically employees with full workplace protections, regardless of how the company tries to classify them. This precedent helps ensure gig economy and delivery workers receive the benefits they're legally entitled to.