Carwasherxs Rising for Better Workplaces, Communities and Lives
Carwasherxs Unidos por Mejores Lugares de Trabajo, Comunidades y Vidas
OUR HISTORY
Founded in 2007, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center has 15 years of experience building carwasherx power and leadership. As the first carwash worker center in Los Angeles, and the country, CLEAN fights to shed light on the exploitative carwash industry and center those at the heart of these operations - the carwasherxs.
As of 2013, CLEAN is a fully independent worker center with a steadfast commitment to radical social change through grassroots organizing. In that time, CLEAN passed the Carwash Worker Law, founded the CleanWash Mobile LLC, a carwash cooperative, and established a one-of-a-kind peer training auto detail program. Simultaneously, our robust carwasherx leadership development program has supported CLEAN members to take on roles as workplace organizers to address safety, health, and labor protections at carwashes. Carwasherxs recently conducted, vital COVID-19 community health outreach in partnership with Los Angeles County distributing PPE kits, guides on effective protective measures, and helping community members in hard-struck areas like South LA get vaccinated.
CLEAN began as a joint campaign with the United Steel Workers Local 675 (USW 675). In our first six years, we supported efforts to organize the first carwash in U.S. history and helped USW 675 achieve 50 union shops at their organizing peak. We continue to build power in a unique community-worker center model that strengthens organizing inside and outside the workplace. Some of our accomplishments include:
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Our peer training program is one-of-a-kind in the carwash industry. It is here carwasherxs with decades of experience train their peers in auto detailing. CLEAN carwasherxs develop and utilize their own curriculum, building together from their varied expertise in the hand car wash industry. These skills help carwasherxs obtain higher-paying skills like buffing, waxing, polishing, claying, and interior steam cleaning. New carwash workers after often denied on-the-job training by owners. This program serves as a career leader and an opportunity for professional development in a supportive, worker-led environment.
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After a multi-year investigation and the brave leadership of carwasherxs, the Playa Vista Car Wash (Culver City, CA) was cited $2.4 million dollars for massive violations of minimum wage and overtime laws. To date this the largest citation against a carwash business in the State of California and would not have been possible without the organizing of CLEAN. Read the LA Times Story
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When the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center was established members led the creation of a robust, one-of-a-kind detail program. From the detail program emerged a cohort of CLEAN carwasherxs who were inspired to start their own car wash. Together, they built the first carwash worker co-op, CleanWash Mobile LLC. Although COVID-19 significantly delayed the opening of CleanWash Mobile LLC, the co-op remains active and its development is supported through the incubation of the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center. Carwasherxs are planning a tentative soft launch in Summer 2021! Stay tuned for more details.
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CLEAN bridges community organizing, worker centers, and elements of traditional labor unions to form a powerful hybrid organization that prioritizes radical social change.
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In 2014, CLEAN won the permanent enactment of the Car Wash Worker Law (AB 1387) which created a restitution fund for carwasherxs - a unique accomplishment for the industry. Currently, restitutions funds in California only exist only for the car wash, garment, and agricultural industries. This creates a statewide mechanism for carwasherxs who’ve experienced wage theft to seek their owed wages with support from the state of California.
Silvia, Jose, and Carlos have been fighting with CLEAN since the beginning, organizing at their workplaces since 2007. In 2015, they graduated from CLEAN’s Leadership Brigade program.
“The struggle against the Pirian brothers, owners of Vermont Hand Wash was one of the first public campaigns for CLEAN. The Pirian brothers were sentenced to jail time in 2010 after workers came forward to share their stories of abuse at the car wash. ”
OUR FUNDERS
We thank our community supporters as well as the following foundations for sustaining our work: National Employment Law Project, Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, The Liberty Hill Foundation, Weingart Foundation, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Tides Foundation, Prevention Institute, CA Community Foundation, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Community Partners, Omidyar Network, Employment Training Panel, and Latino Community Foundation.
