Posted on 05/07/2014 4:37:28 PM PDT by mdittmar
With more than a dozen local carwashes now unionized, Los Angeles is leading the way for union carwash workers. The 133 new unionized carwasheros are represented by the United Steelworkers Local 675. The carwash owners where these employees work also have agreed by contract to comply with all labor, health and safety regulations and give their workers a 2% raise. Workers are now able to enforce these working standards by themselves through a grievance procedure.
The California Labor Federation explains why this is such an important step forward:
Unfortunately, carwash employers routinely violate basic labor laws leading to unsafe and unhealthy workplaces for workers and the communities they serve. In March 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported the results of an investigation of the carwash industry, finding that many owners pay less than half of the required minimum wage, and that two-thirds of those inspected by the state’s labor department since 2003 were out of compliance with one or more labor laws. Although some violations were minor, others were fundamental: underpaying workers, hiring minors, operating without workers’ compensation insurance, and denying workers meal and rest breaks.
Carwash workers in Los Angeles are overwhelmingly Latino immigrants and their work is very labor intensive. On a typical weekday, a carwash may service up to 500 cars. The workers must work at a fast pace for long periods of time, often drenched in water and exposed to high summer temperatures. In order to wash and clean such a high number of vehicles, carwash employers routinely violate basic labor laws, such as those requiring rest breaks or providing shade and clean drinking water.
See the map below for the new unionized carwashes:
The idiots who want amnesty for cheap labor are going to rue the day after they all join unions
So how much does it cost to get a car washed at a union car wash? And am I a scab if I wash it myself?
mmm... Mona.
The car wash used to be an American job, I assume it still is in small towns, where illegals haven’t arrived.
I hope they advertise they are union, so I can avoid them.....
If not,they will be fired.
Oh, wait. I'm sure that won't happen. /s
If it's hot outside, wouldn't being wet be a good thing?
You are so cynical:)
A unionized car wash is a business I would never patronize. I would rather have a dirty car.
Next on the list of inventions: Silicon Valley’s 100% automated car wash.
...”often drenched in water and exposed to high summer temperatures”
Wouldn’t being wet be a good thing in high summer temps?
Being the caring person I am,I would use one of those, so the workers aren't subjected to that.
I’m not sure what kind of car washes California has.
Here in Indiana, they are almost completely automated, the huge majority of the work is maintenance on the equipment.
Imagine that "just out of the blue", L.A. passes an ordinance banning the washing of cars, unless it is done in an "approved" facility.
Of course, those approved facilities will all be union shops sending a fat payoff to those wonderful politicians.
If anyone thinks that banning the washing of cars is far-fetched, it has already been discussed and small airplanes have been prohibited from being washed for decades, due to "environmental concerns", of course.
Do the ‘stoplight’ windshield washers also belong to the Union?
Or maybe the Union is designed to drive ‘them’ out of business.
So, if they unionize the windshield washers, does that mean if you are a Union Cop you can’t complain when the Union windshield washer uses an oily rag.
So hard to tell the ground rules any more.
I worked at and managed a car wash at Olympic and 3rd street in mid cities Los Angeles The producer went and looked at a bunch of car washes in the area ours being one of them. That movie was very accurate in its depiction of life at a car wash. I love that movie we had lots of fun there Lou Rawls came in a few times a month for a quick detail we would sit and BS for a couple hours after closing sitting on the shoe shine stand
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