State Task Force Cites Car Washes

Investigators with the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition (EEEC) have announced the results of sweeps conducted in the car wash industry in Southern California on March 16 and 17.  20 car washes in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley were targeted in the sweeps.  “Our enforcement efforts in the car wash industry continue to find businesses operating without the required registration,” said EEEC Executive Director David Dorame. “The law changed last year requiring the registration of car washes as a way to provide protections for both employees and employers in this industry in California.”

The results of the sweep are as follows:

Number of inspections .............. 20

Number of citations issued ......... 33

Total citation amounts ............. $323,400

Number of unregistered car washes .. 16

Citations issued for ............... no workers' compensation, not taking required payroll deductions, not requiring proper work permits for minors and not paying proper minimum wage and overtime.

Launched in July’05 with the full support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the EEEC was formed with a dual mission: To enforce California labor laws, and to educate business owners and workers on those laws and regulations. On the enforcement side, the EEEC aims to root out businesses participating in the underground economy, which cost the state and legitimate businesses millions each year, in many cases passing the costs on to the consumer. EEEC is a collaboration of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s Department of Industrial Relations (Division of Occupational Safety and Health; Division of Labor Standards Enforcement) and the Employment Development Department. The U.S. Department of Labor participates in the EEEC, as well as the Contractors State License Board when targeting the construction industry. The EEEC conducts enforcement sweeps in various industries, including garment, agriculture, construction, horse race track, car wash, janitorial and restaurant, which have been identified as having a high degree of workplace violations and lack of regulatory compliance.

COUNSEL TO MANAGEMENT:

All California employers should have an ongoing internal program to monitor compliance in safety, wage and hour, workers' compensation, and other regulated components of the employment relationship.  The EEEC will continue to focus on targeted sectors, and employers should assume that they can be inspected at any time.