California Carwash Workers Win Another Victory
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Carwash workers in California are fighting for justice and an end to the exploitation many workers suffer at the hands of abusive carwash owners. One of the workers’ major protections—the Carwash Worker Law—was set to expire this year. But the workers and unions supporting them mobilized for its renewal. Chloe Osmer, of the Clean Carwash Campaign sent us this update.
This week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed into law AB 236, a bill to renew the state’s “Carwash Worker Law” and extend it to 2014. The California Labor Federation and the Community-Labor-Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) Carwash Campaign worked hard to win the bill’s passage.
Sponsored by Assembly member Sandre Swanson (D), the law requires all carwashes to register with the state, enabling the state to prevent employers who have violated labor laws in the past from continuing to do so. It also requires that carwash employers purchase a surety bond as wage insurance and contribute to the Carwash Worker Restitution Fund, both of which provide workers with a means to collect owed wages.
