QUEENS, NY – Nine months after launching a campaign to battle unfair workplace treatment in the carwash industry, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) gained more carwash employees, the Queens Tribune reported.
The Nov. 29 story stated that the union announced employees from Sutphin Carwash in Jamaica and Lage Car Wash in SoHo had joined the crusade to battle unfair wages and gain safer working conditions on Nov. 22.
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“The old way of doing business at these establishments are over. Carwash workers across the city have had enough and are fighting back against abusive conditions,” RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum said in the story. “The RWDSU is proud of these workers and will continue to support them — whether it be at the negotiation table or the picket line — as they stand up for a better future for their families.”
The campaign is part of a larger movement throughout New York City that seeks an end to workplace abuse. A recent survey determined that 71 percent of New York City’s carwash employees worked at least 60 hours per week, with some totaling 105 hours. About 75 percent of workers did not receive any overtime pay for time exceeding 40 hours per week.
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State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is currently investigating the abuses in an attempt to bring New York City carwashes to compliance with New York State labor laws.
Read the entire article here.
