All around the country, workers are fighting for better pay and working conditions and for the simple right to be heard. Some of them are in unions, some of them are not, some are fighting to join unions, some are organizing but not under a traditional union model.
In California's carwashes, workers are fighting serious abuses.
According to
Cuentame:
Carwash operators routinely violate basic employment laws like those requiring workers be permitted to take rest breaks or have access to shade and clean drinking water. Workers frequently work more than 10 hours a day, more than 6 days a week, without even the slightest thought of overtime. In fact, car wash workers are often paid much less than the legal minimum wage, sometimes earning less than $3 an hour or working for cash tips alone. Employees who complain about the exploitative conditions at the workplace are often intimidated and threatened by car wash operators.
CLEAN—Community-Labor-Environmental Action Network—which includes unions, environmental groups, Latino/a organizations, and other community organizations, is committed to:
- Supporting the right of carwash workers to organize a union and bargain collectively.
- Improving working conditions and ensuring that carwash employers meet labor standards and abide by fair workplace practices.
- Demanding environmental clean up to ensure that wastewater from carwashes does not contaminate our rivers or oceans.