Today Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against an L.A. carwash, seeking $630,000 in unpaid wages for workers and over $2 million in penalties for violations of the state's Unfair Competition Law. Violations include failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, failure to report injuries workers suffered on the job, and failure to pay various state payroll taxes. The Attorney General is also seeking an injunction to prevent the carwash from continuing to commit violations in the future.

Henry Huerta, Director of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign said, “The CLEAN Carwash Campaign brought these violations to the attention of the Attorney General because workers reported abuses to us that were horrendous. We applaud the Attorney General for taking such strong action to right these injustices and recover monies owed to carwash workers and the state of California.”

Auto Spa Express ran its carwash business at 2028 Sunset Boulevard, on the corner of Alvarado Street, in LA’s Echo Park neighborhood and had been the target of complaints by carwash workers and the Community-Labor-Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) because of its treatment of workers. Workers reported pay that fell far below the minimum wage, dangerous working conditions, and management harassment of workers who sought to organize a union. The carwash was sold in spring of this year to Sunset Car Wash, LLC.

Last year the LA City Council passed a resolution in response to reports of rampant violations of employment and health and safety laws at Los Angeles-area carwashes. The resolution mandated an investigation into City contracts with carwashes. As a result of an investigation, it was discovered that Auto Spa Express should have been paying its workers the living wage since August of 2006. Although the carwash was subject to the Living Wage Ordinance, workers at Auto Spa Express reported being paid approximately $50-60 per day – or $5-6 per hour – for a ten-hour shift. The Living Wage is currently $11.55 an hour. The City subsequently canceled its contract with the carwash.
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