In the 1946 case of Rutherford Food Corp. et al. v. McComb, Wage and Hour Administrator, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that workers who were involved in slaughtering animals at a meatpacking plant should be considered employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), rather than independent contractors as argued by their employer, Rutherford Food Corporation. The company had claimed these workers were not entitled to overtime pay because they worked on a piece-rate basis and could theoretically profit from their efficiency or suffer losses due to inefficiency - characteristics typically associated with independent contractors rather than employees. However, the court found that despite this arrangement, these workers' activities were still integral to Rutherford's business operations and thus fell within employee status under FLSA guidelines for minimum wage and overtime protections.

In the dissenting opinion for Rutherford Food Corp. et al. v. McComb, it was argued that the majority's decision to classify boners as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was incorrect and inconsistent with previous rulings of the court regarding independent contractors. The dissent emphasized that these workers were skilled laborers who negotiated their own rates, supplied their own tools, had no direct supervision while working, could refuse work without penalty and often worked for multiple employers - all characteristics typically associated with independent contractors rather than employees. They also pointed out that Congress did not intend to cover such workers when they enacted FLSA because they are in a position to protect their own interests through negotiation rather than needing protection from federal wage laws.