Westinghouse Electric Corp. v. Industrial Accident Commission

This is a proceeding to review an order of the Industrial Accident Commission holding an employee entitled to compensation for injuries sustained in an automobile accident which occurred while he was traveling to work.

Virgil C. Blanchard, Jr., an employee of petitioner Westinghonse Electric Corporation, was injured in an automobile accident while driving from his home to work at a job site located at 9300 Wilshire Boulevard in the city of Beverly Hills. Transportation to and from work was not furnished by the employer, and it exercised no control over the means of transportation or route chosen by the employee. The employee was not compensated or entitled to be compensated for the time required to travel to and from work. He was, however, paid carfare of 60 cents per day pursuant to a contract between his union and employer. The contract contained a clause entitled “Traveling Time and Expense” which provided for the payment of allowances for travel and/or expense depending upon the location of the job site. In Zone A, an area within a 5-mile radius of the Los Angeles City Hall, employees were required to pay the traveling expense. In Zone 1, an area within a 10-mile radius,…