AROUND THE INDUSTRY
WCA, workers speak at L.A. hearing on workers’ rights
The carwash workers’ rights saga continued in Los Angeles, where several high- profile raids and lawsuits have focused on violations of labor laws at carwashes in the city and throughout the state. This January, a National Workers’ Rights Board
hearing was held to hear from carwash employees who claim they were mistreated and to
call upon employers to improve working conditions.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcomed community and religious leaders, elected officials, carwash employees and Western Carwash Association representatives to try and
address abuses and hear recommendations to improve conditions. WCA member Sander
Romick was in attendance and WCA President Bill Carbonel was afforded the opportunity
to testify. He testified that while the city of Los Angeles may be experiencing problems
with a few rouge operators, the vast majority of carwash operators are law abiding and
professional. He said the actions of those rouge operators create an unfair playing field for
those who are following the rules.
Of course workers have the right to a safe work-
place.” However, he said, as with any other industry,
“you’ll have people who exploit their workers, so
In an interview with Professional Carwashing & Detailing, Romick said he believed the
cards were stacked against the carwash industry going into the hearing, adding that most
portrayals of operators were as ones who didn’t care for their employees. “We attended
knowing we would be heard, but not objectively,” he explained.
Romick pointed out that the WCA asks its members to obey the laws — it’s in their by-
laws to do so. “Some of the items mentioned are logical. Of course workers have the right
to a safe workplace.” However, he said, as with any other industry, “you’ll have people
who exploit their workers, so why paint our industry with a broad brush?”
“Overall, we think they had some good points,” Romick said, “But we also think they
had some onerous points.”
Workers at the hearing told the Mayor they were paid less than minimum wage and
worked 50-60 hours a week without overtime pay. “I saw workers have accidents be-
cause they were not provided with basic safety equipment,” one worker said in a press
release before the hearing, “and I saw the owner fire or reduce the hours of workers who
they suspected of supporting a union.”
Aura Lopez, a former employee of Best Way Car Wash, told those assembled at the
hearing that she was injured on the job in 2008. “A month after the accident, the owner
saw me talking to a union organizer about how to get help for my injuries. The owner
then fired me and told me never to come back to the carwash,” she said.
The hearing, part of the CLEAN (Community-Labor-Environmental Action Network)
Carwash Campaign, also included a photo exhibit which showed pictures of unsafe working conditions. CLEAN has been campaigning for workers rights since 2008.
The National Workers’ Rights Board offered up the recommendations to:
• Do business only with carwashes that have signed the CLEAN Carwash
Agreement. The agreement outlines safety, environmental and health standards
for employees and allows them to form a union without incident.
• Improve the state’s wage and hour, health and safety, and environmental laws.
• Form a multi-agency task force to investigate employee complaints.
SONNY’S observes
increase in flex-serve
carwashes
SONNY’S Enterprises, Inc. is reporting a significant increase in flex-service carwash sales and
predicting the industry will continue to
evolve in that direction.
The company said that while express
exterior carwashes dominate the market
for new construction, representing 75
percent of SONNY’S overall sales in
2009, flex-serve has grown from 15
percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2009.
Full-service declined from 7 percent
to 5 percent in the same comparison
period. Flex-serve typically combines
an express-exterior carwash and
express-detailing service offerings on
one property.
“When you look at the economy
and the general consumer population,
it makes perfect sense that operators
who would have previously built a
full-serve are increasingly choosing
the flex-serve model,” explained Paul
Fazio, president of SONNY’S. “There
will always be demand for the full-
service wash, but today’s carwash often
needs to appeal to a broader customer
base and be in better control of its labor
costs to succeed. The flex-serve model
allows the business to attract a larger
audience with a value priced drive-thru
exterior while meeting the demand of
the full-serve customer by providing
interior cleaning and express detailing
services.”
In addition to the flex-serve trend,
Fazio also noted operators are build-
ing more multi-profit center locations.
“There’s a definite push to increase the
value of a property by adding multiple
wash formats and services that can
expand hours of operation and the
consumer preferences served,” Fazio
said in the release. “That is a trend that
I expect will gain momentum in 2010.”
SONNY’S Enterprises is the largest
manufacturer of conveyor carwash equip-
ment, parts and supplies in the world.
