A major firm providing laundry services to business and governments nationwide has agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by hundreds of Southern California laundry workers who alleged the company violated Los Angeles' "living wage" laws.

Cintas Corp., which operates industrial laundries and other facilities in the United States and Canada, denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle the 5 -year-old case "in order to avoid the additional expense and distraction of ongoing litigation," the Cincinnati-based company said in a statement.

Labor leaders who helped file the complaint said it was believed to be the largest monetary amount ever paid for alleged violations of living wage ordinances, which set salary and benefit standards for contractors and other firms engaged in government business.

The settlement provides $3.3 million in back wages and interest for more than 500 laundry employees who worked at Cintas facilities in Ontario, Pico Rivera and Whittier, according to Workers United/Service Employees International Union, which assisted in the lawsuit. The remainder of the $6.5 million goes to penalties and legal fees arising from the case.

"It took a long time, but the wait was worth it," said Blanca Arriaga, 57, a Cintas employee who has worked at the Whittier site 18 years and says she earns about $11 an hour. "We were losing hope, so we're glad it was finally settled."

Workers United/SEIU is spearheading a continuing effort to unionize industrial laundries, including Cintas, which is a largely non-union employer. Labor leaders say laundry workers, often immigrants, toil for long hours in difficult jobs, typically earning $9 to $12 an hour. Industrial laundries wash, sort and iron uniforms, tablecloths and other items.

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